Vietnam greatly values cooperation in renewal energy with EU, EuroCham

The Vietnamese Embassy in Belgium held a discussion in Brussels on July 2 with the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham Vietnam) to discuss cooperation opportunities between Vietnam and the European Union (EU), especially in important areas such as green economy, renewable energy, the environment and the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP).

Ambassador to Belgium and head of the Vietnamese Delegation to the European Union (EU) Nguyen Van Thao underscored the importance of cooperation between Vietnam and the EU in promoting green and sustainable economic development, especially in the fields of renewable energy and environmental protection.

He also expressed his belief that EuroCham's cooperation and expertise in renewable energy will make an important contribution to Vietnam's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and respond to climate change.

At the seminar, the two sides discussed a number of important environmental issues that Vietnam is facing, including combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, protecting biodiversity in agriculture and responding to environmental pollution.

Regarding the IUU issue, Ambassador Nguyen Van Thao called for EuroCham's support in urging the European Commission (EC) to remove the IUU "yellow card" for Vietnam. He also emphasized the importance of biodiversity in agriculture for food security and sustainable development.

Regarding the JETP, Ambassador Nguyen Van Thao hailed EuroCham's role in accelerating this program in Vietnam. JETP is an EU initiative to help low- and middle-income countries transition to a clean energy economy. The Ambassador expressed his desire to cooperate closely with EuroCham to effectively carry out JETP in the nation.

For his part, Eurocham Chairman Dominik Meichle said this discussion emphasized the ongoing and future cooperation between EuroCham and Vietnamese partners, focusing on sustainable economic development.

At a working session with the EC's functional units, Eurocham touched upon the IUU "yellow card" issue and hoped the EC side would quickly consider removing it, Dominik Meichle said, adding that in late September or October this year, the EC delegation will visit Vietnam to consider dealing with the yellow card-related issue.

At the discussion, EuroCham business representatives all expressed their confidence in the stable development of the Vietnamese economy.

Meichle said that the business confidence index regularly published by EuroCham shows positive signs and that Vietnam is bringing many opportunities to the European business community.
In addition, the EuroCham leader also emphasized Vietnam's strengths in attracting foreign investment such as a stable investment environment, a well-trained workforce, and open dialogue between the government and businesses. Thanks to that, Vietnam's prospects now and in the future are considered very positive, he went on.

Meichle put forth a number of suggestions for the Vietnamese side such as controlling inflation at a reasonable level, thus enabling consumers to ensure spending power , increasing government investment in infrastructure, especially green energy, traffic systems and seaports, streamlining administrative procedures, and accelerating digitizing processes.

According to EuroCham Vice President Jean-Jacques Bouflet in charge of policy, Vietnam's economy is increasingly growing and stable and EuroCham are very excited about the prospects in Vietnam.

Bouflet affirmed EuroCham's commitment to maintaining and strengthening the sound relations between Europe and Vietnam.

He also noted his appreciation Vietnam's efforts in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and economic recovery. Vietnam has many advantages for future development, including favorable geographical location, high-quality workforce and competitive prices, he continued

Concerning personal data protection, which is becoming increasingly important in the digital age, Bruno Sivanandan, in charge of Eurocham's electronics field, said that Vietnam and Europe both need to improve personal data protection.

He underscored the importance of raising awareness from businesses, especially the private sector, about investing in information technology systems to ensure data security.

Complying with regulations on personal data protection is not only a responsibility but also a competitive advantage for businesses.

Vietnamese businesses need to raise awareness and invest in information technology systems to ensure data security and compliance with international regulations, he emphasized.

The discussion between the Vietnamese Embassy in Belgium and EuroCham is evidence of the increasingly close cooperative ties between the two sides. With support and commitment from European businesses, Vietnam has full potential to achieve the goal of sustainable economic development and prosperity in the future.