Brussels, 15/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - A fourth round of negotiations has brought the exchange of initial tariff offers between the EU and Vietnam, its south-east Asian partner.
On 2-5 July, the EU and Vietnam brought an end to their fourth round of talks for a free-trade agreement. All the chapters covered by the agreement - customs duties and non-tariff barriers, services, public procurement investment, regulatory issues, competition and sustainable development - were discussed. For the first time since the beginning of the negotiations in June 2012, the two parties exchanged a series of initial tariff offers.
Beyond tariff liberalisation, European Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht stressed - during a visit to Hanoi at the beginning of March - the reform efforts needed from Vietnam, particularly with regard to the privatisation of state-owned enterprises. Brussels and Hanoi gave themselves three years to seal an agreement. The fifth round of negotiations will be held in Vietnam before the end of the year.
Vietnam is the EU's fifth largest trading partner in the ASEAN region. Bilateral trade in goods stood at nearly €24 billion in 2012, with €5.3 billion of exports from the EU in comparison with €18.5 billion of exports from Vietnam. The EU is the fourth biggest foreign investor, with $1.061 billion of direct investment committed in Vietnam in 2012.
FIDH tackles EU on human rights. On 3 July, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) pointed out that there was no impact assessment on human rights forming as part of the future trade agreement between the EU and Vietnam. The NGO, which obtained confirmation of this lack from the European Commission, highlighted the EU's non-respect of its human rights commitments. “It is well known today that international trade and investments can have positive effects on human rights, but it has often also contributed to undermine the protection and realisation of human rights and to worsen the social, economic, civil and political situation of citizens, in particular those in developing countries and states where corruption is high and transparency low”, states the FIDH, calling on the European Parliament and Council to remedy the situation. Since 2009, 160 peaceful protesters have been sentenced to a total of 1,052 years in gaol in a brutal crackdown by the Vietnamese government, the NGO states. (EH/transl.fl)