At the talks between Executive Vice President of the European Commission (EC) Frans Timmermans and Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh. (Photo: VNA) During his talks with Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh in Hanoi, Timmermans affirmed that the European Union (EU) attaches importance to the partnership and comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam.
He hailed Vietnam’s commitments and efforts in materialising results of the COP26, saying the Southeast Asian nation has advantages and potential for clean and renewable energy development.
The EU supports and will work to promote cooperation with Vietnam through private investments, the EU’s resources and international financial resources, he pledged.
Timmermans also spoke highly of Vietnam’s efforts in handling illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU), and said that the EU will soon send experts to the country to look into the work and give conclusions for the matter.
The two sides noted with pleasure the active developments of the Vietnam-EU relations despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
The EU is an important economic and development partner and the biggest non-refundable aid provider of Vietnam. It is also the country’s third largest importer and sixth largest investor.
Two-way trade reached 57 billion USD 18 months after the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) was put in place.
The two agreed to enhance collaboration in politics, diplomacy, trade, investment, development, agriculture, environment, energy, national defence and security, among others.
Thanh suggested the EU and its member countries create favourable conditions for Vietnamese goods to enter the market, and called on the EC to back efforts to push ahead with the ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) to boost the bilateral economic ties.
He proposed the EU to soon remove the “yellow card” warning in IUU fishing and help Vietnam improve its fishery management capacity, provide technical assistance and carry out solutions to fight illegal fishing.
For cooperation in energy and environment, the Deputy PM reiterated Vietnam’s strong commitment to climate change adaptation, with attention to the low-carbon economy.
He called on the EU to support and cooperate with Vietnam in the fulfillment of commitments made at the COP26, especially the target of net zero emissions by 2050, and the building of the domestic carbon market.
Thanh suggested cooperation in implementing projects in energy, transport, forest preservation and technological transfer, and called on the EU to help Vietnam access financial and technological sources to realise the commitments and initiatives on emission reduction and climate change response.
Both sides agreed to strengthen collaboration in climate change adaptation, turning Vietnam into a model of effective cooperation with the EU in this regard.
Executive Vice President Timmermans is paying a visit to Vietnam from February 17-19 at the invitation of Deputy PM Thanh.
During the trip, Timmermans will pay a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and hold working sessions with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry./.
VNA
