Signing ceremony between Vietnamese enterprises and European and Belgian partners (Photo: VNA) The EU Today on September 6 posted an article titled “EU -Vietnam - Belgium relations: A new direction after the pandemic”, which haspositive assessments on cooperation prospects between the EU in general andBelgium in particular and Vietnam.
According to the author, the relationship between the EU andVietnam has become a model of EU cooperation with Asian countries. Both sideshave focused on promoting the implementation of the Comprehensive Partnershipand Cooperation Agreement (PCA) which was signed in 2012 and which took effecton October 1, 2016, marking an important step forward in the Vietnam-EUrelationship, thus creating a legal basis for bringing the bilateralrelationship to a new stage of development with a large scope and deeperlevels.
After a decade of relentless efforts, the EU-Vietnam FreeTrade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement(EVIPA) were signed on June 30, 2019. The EVFTA officially took effect fromAugust 1, 2020, thus opening a brighter and newer chapter in this bilateralcooperation relationship.
These agreements are expected to bring “golden”opportunities for the two sides to effectively exploit the potential ofcooperation, promote trade, investment, sustainable development and contributeto promoting economic linkages, the article wrote.
The author said that Europe has the ability to promote strongercooperation with Vietnam in tourism, education, logistics, agriculture, andhigh technology.
The EU is also positioned to promote the required GreenTechnology Transfer to Vietnam in the treatment of waste, water sources,management of seawater intrusion, and sea-level rise to enhance people's livesin areas affected by climate changes such as the central region and the MekongDelta.
It can also be a valuable partner in supporting Vietnamin sustainable energy development, governance, rule of law, and legislation.Vietnam is also still in need of development assistance for projects ondeveloping green energy and improving the environment in a sustainable way inrural and mountainous areas.
Earlier, the Brussels Times of Belgium ran an article titled“EU-Vietnam relations reach new heights", stressing that the visit of the newChairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly is the first high-level visit toEurope by a Vietnamese leader after the elections to the Parliament.
The article reviewed the cooperation between Vietnam and theEU over the past 30 years, during which the legislative bodies of the two sideshave played an important role.
The EU continues to consider Vietnam a leading partner inthe region, while Vietnam has always positioned itself as a bridge between theEU and the Southeast Asian countries, it added./.
VNA
