PM Dung welcomes EU Trade Commissioner

(VOV) - Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on March 17 hosted a reception for Trade Commissioner of the European Union Karel De Gucht who is in Hanoi for the seventh round of talks on the Vietnam-EU free trade agreement (FTA).

PM Dung expressed his hope that the talks scheduled for March 17-21, will be productive so as to accelerate the finalization of FTA by October as expected.

The early completion of the FTA will bring practical benefits to both sides, Dung said while reaffirming that Vietnam is doing its utmost to reach this goal.

The Vietnamese leader suggested the EU recognize Vietnam as a full market economy as soon as possible.

De Gucht said he was satisfied with the outcome of the previous FTA talks and stated that the EU is working closely with Vietnam to complete negotiations soon.

The EU is the second largest trade partner and the biggest export market of Vietnam.

The bloc’s businesses have primarily been involved in the manufacturing, construction and services sectors in Vietnam

As of November 2013, two-way trade between Vietnam and the EU reached more than US$30 billion, up 17.35 percent from the same period of a year earlier. Vietnam’s key EU exports are footwear, garments and textiles, coffee, wood products and seafood.
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