Hanoi(VNA) – The fourth meetingof the Vietnam-EU Joint Committee under the EU-Vietnam Partnership andCooperation Agreement (PCA) was held recently in Brussels, Belgium. According to thepress release following the meeting, the EU and Vietnam underlined the breadth and depth of their multifacetedrelationship, discussing a broad range of topics in the various fields of theirbilateral cooperation, including political issues, security and defence cooperation,trade and investment, sustainable development, official development assistance,fisheries, climate change and the sustainable energy transition, as well asgood governance, the rule of law and human rights. The EU presented its newEuropean Chips Act and the European Critical Raw Materials Act, highlightingthe EU’s need to diversify and secure its supply chains. The two sides took stockof the discussions held earlier in the year in Hanoi in the varioussub-committees of the CPA and agreed to build on these during their nextsessions to be organised in 2024. They reviewed theircooperation and trade relations under their Free Trade Agreement and pledged towork together to further boost sustainable and inclusive prosperity whileaiming at progress on some outstanding regulatory issues and fullimplementation of the agreement.

They looked forward to intensifying theircooperation with the visit of the Executive Vice President of the EuropeanCommission, Valdis Dombrovskis, in Vietnam at the beginning of November and thethird Trade Committee at ministerial level meeting to be held in Brussels onDecember 1, preceded by the third Trade and Sustainable Development Committee,the Domestic Advisory Group and the third Committee on Trade in Goods.

﷽ The EU commended Vietnam’s commitment tobecome climate neutral by 2050. The EU and Vietnam reviewed recent progress ontheir Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), bringing together Vietnameseauthorities and international partners in a joint endeavour to supportVietnam’s low-emission and climate resilient development. The JETP will promoteinvestment for the decarbonisation of Vietnam’s electricity system to bringdown greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to the international climatechange agenda. They will continue their joint efforts towards the launch of theJETP’s Resource Mobilisation Plan at the earliest opportunity. They reiteratedthat for the transition to be just and equitable, regular consultation isrequired, including with media, NGOs and other stakeholders so as to ensure abroad social consensus.

The EU invited Vietnamto the third Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum to be held in Brussels on February 2,2024. The EU and Vietnam agreed that, building on the success of the previousforums in Paris (2022) and Stockholm (2023), the Brussels Ministerial Forumwould provide another significant opportunity to discuss global issues and howto address more effectively the challenges posed by the complexity of theIndo-Pacific landscape.

The two sidesexchanged views on recent security developments, where they agreed on the needto find peaceful solutions while respecting the principles of international lawand the UN Charter. On Ukraine, the EU and Vietnam reiterated their positions asexpressed in other fora. They also underscored the need for a comprehensive,just, and lasting peace in Ukraine in accordance with the United NationsCharter and international law. The EU and Vietnam reaffirmed their commitmentto the UN Charter and international law including the need to respect thesovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all states. They also sharedviews on the situation in the Middle East and in Myanmar and discussed theEU-ASEAN partnership. As regards the East Sea, they expressed concern at recentdevelopments and reaffirmed the importance of peace, stability, security andfreedom of navigation and overflight and stressed the importance for allparties to abide by international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on theLaw of the Sea (UNCLOS).

꧅ They discussed thepotential for enhancing security cooperation, including in the areas ofmaritime security and cybersecurity. The EU reiterated its gratitude for thedeployment of two Vietnamese officers to the EU Training Mission in the CentralAfrican Republic. 

The EU and Vietnam also exchanged views on sustainable development, includingthrough new cooperation opportunities stemming from the Global Gateway, whichheld its first Forum in Brussels on October 25-26 attended by VietnameseDeputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha. The EU stressed the need for the inclusiveparticipation of all partners in development matters. The EU and Vietnamdiscussed sustainable fishery developments, including ongoing actions withregard to combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Theyshared their respective positions and objectives for upcoming environment andbiodiversity-related international negotiations with the aim to build possiblesynergies for sustainable global development.
         
♒ Support for international law and the international orderbased on international law, good governance, the rule of law, respect forfundamental rights and engagement of relevant partners are essential elementsof the EU-Vietnam relationship.

The EU delegation was headed by Paola Pampaloni, Acting Managing Director for Asia and Pacific in the European External ActionService. The Vietnamese delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang. They were also joined by the European Commission, and EU member states and representatives from Vietnamese government agencies./.