Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc laid stress on the significance of bolstering cooperation with the European Union (EU), a leading strategic partner of Vietnam in economy, trade and investment while chairing a meeting to evaluate bilateral collaboration in the past time in Hanoi on April 14.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chairs a meeting to evaluate cooperation with the EU in Hanoi on April 14. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc laid stress on thesignificance of bolstering cooperation with the European Union (EU), a leadingstrategic partner of Vietnam in economy, trade and investment while chairing ameeting to evaluate bilateral collaboration in the past time in Hanoi on April14.
Two-way trade has seen fruitful results, with the EU being the second largestimporter of Vietnam and the destination for 18 percent of Vietnamese exports,he said, noting that the union was the third biggest trade partner of Vietnamwith two-way trade reaching some 50 billion USD in 2017.
Vietnam enjoyed a trade surplus of 31.8 billion USD with the EU, he added.
He also pointed out some factors that hinder two-way trade like the “yellowcard” issued by the European Commission for Vietnamese seafood. The local businessclimate should be improved while administrative procedures need to bestreamlined to facilitate trade and investment between Vietnam and the EU, headded.
At the meeting, the Government leader ordered relevant ministries to closelywork with the EU’s bodies to complete the signing and ratification of theVietnam-EU free trade agreement (EVFTA) at the end of 2018, creating abreakthrough for economic and trade cooperation between the two sides.
The EVFTA, a new-generation free trade agreement between Vietnam and the EU’s28 member states, is a comprehensive and high-quality trade pact that balancesbenefits for both Vietnam and the EU as well as is in line with regulations ofthe World Trade Organisation.
Leaders of Vietnam and the EU finished negotiations for the deal in 2015.-VNA
Portugal backs the early signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs Augusto Santos Silva told Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue during their meeting in Lisbon.
Many members of the European Parliament have urged acceleration of the completion of documents and relevant procedures for the signing and ratification of the Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the EU (EVFTA).
Vietnam and the European Union (EU) are likely to sign the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) soon, Daniel Muller, ASEAN Regional Manager for the German Asia-Pacific Business Association said.
Removing trade barriers and cutting down tariffs are the most critical measures to improve investment climate for European enterprises who want to land foreign direct investments (FDI) in Vietnam.
As holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), Bulgaria advocates the early signing and approval of the EU – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), a Bulgarian official has said.
Under a draft to amend and supplement the Government's Decree 125/2020/ND-CP on administrative sanctions for violations of tax and invoice regulations, the Ministry of Finance has proposed classifying the failure to issue invoices into five different levels. Infraction levels will correspond to fines of 1 million VND to 80 million VND, depending on the nature and number of invoicing violations.
A new airline developed and invested by Sun Group — has officially announced a strategic partnership with Amadeus IT Group (Amadeus), one of the world’s leading travel technology companies. This agreement not only lays the foundation for a modern digital infrastructure but also marks a pivotal step in SPA’s global expansion strategy, enabling the airline to access international distribution networks and reach customers worldwide.
Of the total, 107,700 were new firms, with combined registered capital of 928.4 trillion VND (35.4 billion USD), up 10.6% in number and 5.5% in capital compared with the same period last year.
Experts agree that a combination of technology, enforcement, education and cross-border cooperation is essential to protect copyrighted content in Vietnam’s growing digital ecosystem.
Poland is Vietnam’s largest export market in Central and Eastern Europe, with key staples including seafood, textiles, footwear, coffee, and cashew nuts.
Cashless payments are growing at an impressive rate, averaging 30–40% annually. Vietnam’s per capita cashless transaction volume now trails only China, with total value of 295.2 quadrillion VND (11.26 trillion USD), or 26 times of its GDP.
A draft resolution on piloting a digital asset and cryptocurrency market is being developed, aiming to create a broad-enough regulatory sandbox that enables investor participation and provides practical grounds for policy refinement in areas such as risk management and anti-money laundering.
Viettel was ranked third for overall mobile performance with a score of 82.56 just behind UEA’s e& (88.05) and Quatar’s Ooredoo (87.05) and ahead of Singapore’s Singtel (82.53). Vinaphone took second in 5G speed with a score of 78.11, trailing only behind e&.
PM Chinh proposed MUFG work closely with the Ministry of Finance to improve legal frameworks and support the establishment and operation of the international financial centre in Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.
The Prime Minister emphasised the significance of maintaining macroeconomic stability, controlling inflation, promoting growth, and improving the harmony between monetary and fiscal policies.
Petrovietnam will step up the development of new products and the expansion of international markets to reduce reliance on the domestic market. It also plans to optimise capital use, manage cash flow and costs, streamline operations, and enhance workforce quality to achieve its 2025 goals.
Vietnam has so far attracted 43,346 valid FDI projects with a total registered capital of 517.14 billion USD. The accumulated disbursed capital is estimated at nearly 331.46 billion USD, accounting for 64.6% of the total registered capital.
More than a product showcase, Vietfood & Beverage – Propack Vietnam 2025 is designed as a comprehensive ecosystem where businesses, experts, and consumers can share knowledge, explore technologies, and connect for collaboration.
Both sides expressed their hope that the outcomes of the discussion will continue to improve the efficiency of customs clearance activities at the customs clearance points and dedicated transport routes of the Huu Nghi – Youyi Guan international border gate pair.
The maximum retail price of E5 RON92 petrol has increased by 207 VND to 19,608 VND (0.75 USD) per litre while that of RON95-III rose by 234 VND to 20,074 VND per litre.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chairs a meeting to evaluate cooperation with the EU in Hanoi on April 14. (Photo: VNA) 
