EU pursues enhanced partnership with Vietnam to boost free trade in face of global obstacles: EC chief's perspective
Rewritten Article:
The Party General Secretary Tô Lâm chatted on the phone with European Council President Antonio Costa on April 30. Euro-wide cheer went up as Costa extended his warm congrats on Việt Nam's 50th anniversary of the South's liberation and national reunification (1975-2025).
Costa underlined this event's historical significance—not only for Việt Nam, but for the collective consciousness of the world. To school him on the importance of the 1975 victory, Lâm pointed out that it marked a new chapter in Việt Nam's history—an era of building a peaceful, united, sovereign, democratic, and prosperous nation.
This achievement wasn't just the fruition of Việt Nam's homegrown drive for peace, independence, freedom, and national unification, but also a testament to the power of universal hopes and international support for peace and independence.
Ever grateful for the EU's warm greeting, Lâm shared that Việt Nam deeply appreciates the invaluable backing of the EU and its member states. Highlighting the relationship's vitality and versatility, he spoke proudly of its progress from politics and diplomacy to trade, investment, defense, and groundbreaking new fields like green transition, science, and technology.
Touching upon tricky global trade times, Lâm advocated a world of multilateralism, diversification, and all-win cooperation with partners such as the EU. He hoped that the two sides would proactively address problems and barriers to robustly develop economic cooperation.
In agreement, Costa hailed the relationship's strength and trustworthiness, with warm words for Việt Nam's stature in Southeast Asia and the potential to elevate EU-Việt Nam relations to new heights. Haunted by the complexities of global geopolitics and economic developments, the EU, it seemed, desired to amplify cooperation with Việt Nam on free trade and addressing global challenges like climate change.
For more concrete collaboration, Costa vowed to push through on priorities as suggested by Lâm, such as arranging high-ranking delegation exchanges, streamlining the implementation of existing cooperation arrangements, and generating new initiatives. EU member states were urged to speed up the ratification of the EU-Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and back Vietnam in the implementation of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) to meet the net-zero emissions target by 2050. The European Commission (EC) was called upon to weigh lifting the 'yellow card' imposed on Việt Nam's seafood exports.
Mulling over the current state of EU-Vietnam relations, significant progress is evident in the past thirty-five years: the EU is among Vietnam's most important international partners, and the two sides implement four key cooperation agreements and eight dialogue mechanisms across multiple sectors. The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) has strengthened bilateral trade, making the EU Vietnam's largest trading partner in ASEAN and Vietnam the EU's fourth-largest trading partner and sixth-largest investor, with 2024's two-way trade hitting almost USD 70 billion.[1][2]
Party General Secretary Tô Lâm had a phone conversation with European Council President Antonio Costa on April 30. - VNA/VNS Photo
Key components of the relationship include trade and investment, green transition, and innovation and science-technology.[2] Meanwhile, future plans involve upgrading the EU-Vietnam partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, shoring up market access, and pushing ahead on the Just Energy Transition Partnership with the aim of achieving Vietnam's net-zero emissions target by 2050.[3] Collaboration in infrastructure, digital transformation, and potentially science and technology are also high on the agenda.[3]
- The Party General Secretary Tô Lãm and European Council President Antonio Costa discussion on April 30 touched upon the significance of Viẹt Nam's 50th anniversary of the South's liberation and national reunification.
- Costa recognized the historical importance of Viẹt Nam's national reunification event beyond just Viẹt Nam, but for the world's collective consciousness.
- Tô Lãm explained that the 1975 victory marked a new era in Viẹt Nam's history, focusing on building a peaceful, united, sovereign, democratic, and prosperous nation.
- The achievement of Viẹt Nam's peace, independence, freedom, and national unification was a result of homegrown efforts, but also universal hopes and international support for peace and independence.
- Euro-wide congratulations from Costa was greatly appreciated by Tô Lãm, who highlighted the progression of the relationship between Viẹt Nam and the EU from politics and diplomacy to trade, investment, defense, and innovative fields such as green transition, science, and technology.
- Lâm advocated a world of multilateralism, diversification, and all-win cooperation with partners like the EU to address volatile global trade times and collaborate on problems and barriers for robust economic cooperation.
- Costa praised the strength and trustworthiness of the relationship, with admiration for Viẹt Nam's stature in Southeast Asia and potential to elevate EU-Viẹt Nam relations further.
- Future plans include upgrading the EU-Vietnam partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, securing market access, and advancing the Just Energy Transition Partnership to meet the net-zero emissions target by 2050.
- Collaboration in infrastructure, digital transformation, and potentially science and technology are also high on the agenda, making these fields significant aspects of the advancing EU-Vietnam relationship.
