Ben Tre (VNA) – With its strength in tourismand farm produce export, the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre boast greatpotential to enjoy benefits from the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA),said Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son.

At a conference on September 27 to discuss economicpartnership between Ben Tre and Europe, Son said that Ben Tre is one of thelocalities with high development index, adding that Ben Tre ranked first in the Provincial Governance and Public AdministrationPerformance Index (PAPI) and fourth in competitiveness index in 2018.

This is a foundation for the province to promoteinternational economic integration in the future, he said.

Regarding the Vietnam-EU partnership, Son said that the EUis the fourth biggest trade partner and second largest export market ofVietnam. Two-way trade rose about 15-20 percent per year, while EU members’investment in Vietnam reached 25 billion USD with more than 2,200 projects.

The signing of the EVFTA and EU-Vietnam InvestmentProtection Agreement (EVIPA) is expected to open up great chances for the twosides to promote partnership, he stressed.

Meanwhile, Secretary of the Ben Tre Party Committee Phan VanMai said that the province holds advantages in processing and exportingproducts from coconuts, fruits and seafood. Therefore, with the EVFTA, local productswill have chances to access the promising EU market.

Mai affirmed that Ben Tre considers foreign-invested firmsas an important economic sector and always works to protect the rights andinterests of foreign investors.

The province prioritises environmental-friendly projectswith high technology and added value and connection with the global productionand supply chains, he said.

The official also expressed his hope that EU membercountries would create favourable conditions for Ben Tre products to reachtheir markets. Ben Tre welcomes EU businesses to seek partnership opportunitiesin the province, he stated.

Jean Jacques Bouflet, Vice President of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham),said that Vietnam should make more efforts to implement laws of the EU toensure its products meet requirements in the market.

Vietnam and Ben Tre inparticular should improve the legal environment to attract more Europeaninvestors, while simplifying administrative procedures, he suggested.

EuroCham and its members arewilling to share technical and business experiences with Ben Tre to help theprovince’s products satisfy requirements in the EU markets.

On the occasion, Ben Tre alsointroduced to participating firms its five promising sectors – seafood, coconutprocessing, fruit, tourism and industry./.