A partnership and cooperation agreement between the EU and Vietnam that was agreed in 2010 and signed on 27 June 2012 came into force on Saturday 1 October, replacing the 1995 cooperation agreement.
The new cooperation agreement will extend the scope of EU-Vietnam cooperation on trade and investment, energy, the environment, science, technology, good governance (rule of law, human rights, sustainable development), tourism, culture, migration, anti-terror, anti-corruption and opposition to organised crime.
It will encourage greater cooperation on global and regional challenges, including boosting the global governance and multilateral system, climate change, counter-terror and the fight against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
The EU and Vietnam concluded talks on a free-trade zone in December 2015 (see EUROPE 11444).
EU-Vietnam trade passed the €45 billion mark in 2015 and is expected to grow further this year. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)