Vietnam will no longer apply differential procedures to certain European pharmaceuticals due to their regulatory authority as of Thursday 20 October. The European Commission has welcomed this development. This has been achieved in large part thanks to the preferential relationship allowed by the EU-Vietnam trade agreement in force since 2020, it said.
“This demonstrates the added value of strong trade agreements with partners around the world”, said EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis.
Until now, pharmaceuticals produced in Spain, Poland, Italy and Hungary have suffered from longer registration procedures in Vietnam and discrimination in participation in public procurement. This was due to a differentiation made between the regulatory authorities of these four countries.
However, Hanoi has adopted a legislative act that now recognises the European single market for pharmaceuticals and the unity of its authorisation system.
Pharmaceutical products accounted for 14% of European exports to Vietnam in 2021. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)