Brussels, 25/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström said on Wednesday 25 March that she hoped to conclude EU-Vietnam free-trade negotiations before the summer.
“We are moving forward very well. There are some outstanding issues. We count to conclude before the summer”, she said at a press briefing following the informal meeting of EU trade ministers in Riga.
EU and Vietnamese negotiators met in Hanoi this week for the twelfth round of talks. Following the previous round, in January, the Commission said progress had been made on all pending issues and that efforts were continuing on the rapid conclusion of an agreement.
This agreement will cover trade in goods and services, investment, public procurement, intellectual property rights (including geographical indications), non-tariff barriers, animal and plant health and health issues, technical obstacles to trade, customs cooperation and trade facilitation, and it will include a chapter on sustainable development.
In 2013, bilateral trade in goods was worth €27.1 billion, €21.3 billion of which was in exports from Vietnam. EU direct investment in Vietnam was $656 million in 2013, making the EU the sixth largest investor in the country. (Emmanuel Hagry)