PM receives European Commission Vice President

Welcoming Antonio Tajani, Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, the Prime Minister affirmed that the Vietnamese Government welcomes and assists European companies, including small and medium-size enterprises, to do long-term business in Vietnam.

Thanking the European Commission for granting Vietnam the Generalised System of Preferences status in the period 2014-2016, the PM asked the commission for rapid approval of the Vietnam-EU Partnership and Co-operation Agreement and the signing of the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement by 2014.

These agreements represent legal frameworks that will help businesses penetrate into each other's markets in order to further expand economic, trade, investment and tourism ties.

The Vietnamese leader also asked the European Union for timely recognition of Vietnam's full market economy status, as well as the continuation of official development assistance to Vietnam.

Tajani said that the representatives of all 40 European businesses and media agencies who have accompanied him on his visit to Vietnam wish to expand co-operation in trade, investment and tourism.

He affirmed that the EU wants to promote co-operation with Vietnam, especially its small and medium-sized enterprises in agricultural product processing, tourism, chemicals and cosmetics. He added that a business delegation plans to visit Vietnam next year to seek co-operation opportunities in these fields.

The EU is also willing to promote co-operation with Vietnam in space, particularly in disaster forecast and warning, he added.

(Source: Nhandannewspaperonline)