Vietnam, EU Pledge to Deepen Cooperation and Move Towards Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

Hanoi, The Gulf Observer: Deputy Prime Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn affirmed that the European Union (EU) remains an important partner in Việtnam’s foreign policy during a meeting with EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic in Hanoi on Friday.

Expressing satisfaction with the tangible progress made in bilateral relations, the Deputy PM noted that the two sides have established and effectively implemented eight regular dialogue mechanisms, signed multiple cooperation agreements, and enhanced collaboration at multilateral forums. He underlined that exchanges at all levels have increased, while cooperation in trade, investment, science and technology, defence and security, climate change response, education, culture, tourism, and development has continued to advance.

Highlighting Việt Nam’s achievements, Sơn stressed that the country now ranks 32nd globally in terms of GDP and is among the world’s top 20 trading nations. He reiterated Việt Nam’s vision to become a modern industrial nation with upper-middle income by 2030 and a developed, high-income country by 2045.

Welcoming discussions on elevating ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, he suggested that the EU boost political trust through more frequent high-level visits, respond to Việt Nam’s draft joint statement on the elevation, and accelerate ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) by the remaining members. He also called on the EU to fully leverage the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and remove the “yellow card” warning on Vietnamese seafood exports.

The Deputy PM encouraged the EU to support ASEAN Community building, align ASEAN-EU action plans with regional priorities, and back the peaceful settlement of disputes in the East Sea in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

For his part, Commissioner Sefcovic shared the outcomes of his talks with Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyễn Hồng Diên, where both sides agreed to further boost trade by maximising the EVFTA. He reaffirmed the EU’s support for Việt Nam’s fast and sustainable development and urged continued reforms to facilitate imports and investment from the bloc.

Sefcovic proposed establishing a joint task force to address outstanding bottlenecks, including the removal of the “yellow card” on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and suggested a cooperation strategy to harness both sides’ strengths in science, technology, semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), renewable energy, 5G, aviation, and logistics. He also invited Việt Nam to participate in the EU’s upcoming “Global Gateway Initiative” in France.

Deputy PM Sơn pledged that Vietnamese ministries and agencies would work closely with EU partners to address outstanding issues and called on the EU to step up activities under the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) to support Việt Nam’s net-zero target by 2050. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening intellectual property protection, incentive policies, and workforce training to attract high-tech investment, and expressed readiness to deepen cooperation in technology research, transfer, and startup support.

On behalf of the Prime Minister, Sơn also invited the EU to attend the signing ceremony of the Hà Nội Convention against Cybercrime scheduled for October.