Hanoi (VNA) – During the recent trip to Europe, Speaker of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue and the heads of three ministries have carried out numerous activities to promote trade, investment and agricultural cooperation with European countries and have proposed that the European Commission (EC) consider removing the “yellow card” on the agricultural sector. fishing in Vietnam.

The head of the NA and members of the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation lobbied the relevant agencies of the European Council and the European Parliament (EP) as well as the European partner to hasten the parliaments of European countries and the EP to soon ratify EU-Vietnam investment protection An agreement (EVIPA). So far, only eight of the 27 EU member parliaments have approved the deal.

The Vietnamese delegation conveyed the message that investing in Vietnam means entering the ASEAN market of over 600 million people and the larger Asian market of 5 billion people, as Vietnam is a full member of 17 new generation free trade agreements (FTAs).

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien stressed that once EVIPA is ratified and implemented, trade in goods between the two sides will increase and bilateral trade between Vietnam and the EU will become more balanced. .

During this time, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung European investors are interested in providing high-tech products based on digital platforms as part of technology transfer.

Regarding the agricultural partnership, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan said that through working sessions with the agricultural chiefs of European countries, opportunities should open up in Vietnam to promote the export of agricultural products to the EU.

He proposed a number of initiatives to strengthen cooperation with EU partners in the fields of research, staff training and innovation in the future, as well as collaboration in forestry and the development of cooperatives, the circular economy and the bioeconomy. Specific cooperation frameworks will be published in the coming times, he added.

Meanwhile, in high-level meetings, when AN President Hue mentioned the removal of the “yellow card” from the EC, the EP President and the President of the European Council pointed out that Vietnam’s legal regulations concerning the prevention and fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing are relatively sufficient. However, they highlighted a number of problems in the implementation of the regulations in some localities in Vietnam, expressing their hope that Vietnam will take care of the matter soon.

Recently, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired an online meeting with localities on the fight against IUU fishing and measures to lift the “yellow card”. The efforts demonstrate Vietnam’s strong determination to lift the warning./.