Andris Piebalgs, EU Development Commissioner, made the statement at a reception in Hanoi on March 28 given by Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai.  

He said the EU is evaluating its official development assistance (ODA) strategy for countries, and confirmed that despite its current debt crisis the bloc will not change its aid commitment to Vietnam.

Deputy PM Hai welcomed Piebalgs visit to Vietnam and said the frequent exchange of high-level visits between the two sides will help strengthen all-round cooperation in the future.

He thanked the EU for providing its development aid to Vietnam and confirmed that the country creates every possible conditions to ensure that the EU-funded ODA projects on infrastructure development and social welfare are efficient.  

Both host and guest held that Vietnam and the EU should speed up negotiations for signing the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) and the free trade agreement (FTA), as well as other investment and development cooperation projects.

Piebalgs’s visit follows a recent Vietnam visit by David O’Sullivan, the Chief Operating Officer of the European External Action Service.