WHITEBOOK 2020 AND DIALOGUE EUROCHAM-HCMC ON THE OPPORTUNITIES ARISING FROM THE EUVFTA

HCMC, July 28th, 2020 – Three days ahead of the entry into force of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, an articulated meeting has taken place in HCMC between the membership of EuroCham, the confederation of EU Member States’ Chambers of Commerce in Vietnam, and the leadership of HCMC, including the Chairman of the People Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong. EuroCham has been able to present the policy recommendation for a better business environment contained in the Whitebook 2020 to both Chairman Phong and the officers of relevant city departments. Among other things, the EU businesses claim a facilitation of visa entry for European high-skilled workers and managers against a background of persistent closure of Vietnamese borders. To this purpose, Chairman Phong has announced the institution of a devoted committee in charge of facilitating such authorization procedures and related logistic aspects, including quarantine structures. The event has been attended by the Consul General of Italy Dante Brandi, the Deputy Chairman of EuroCham Tomaso Andreatta and the Chairman of ICHAM Michele D’Ercole and it offered also an occasion for further discussions on the opportunities arising for the bilateral trade expansion from the EUVFTA. In this regard, both EuroCham and HCMC leaders agreed on actions for further disseminating information on such opportunities to the European and Vietnamese business sectors (especially SMEs) and for training activities to officers of both parties in charge of related activities such as customs and certifications.