Second Joint Committee under VN-EU Comprehensive Partnership meeting organized

Deputy Minister of  Foreign Affaiirs To Anh Dung (second to the right) chairs the second meeting of the Viet Nam-European Union (EU) Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation Framework Agreement (PCA), Ha Noi, December 15, 2020.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs To Anh Dung and Managing Director for Asia and Pacific in the European External Action Service Gunnar Wiegand co-chaired the event. 

The celebration of the 30th anniversary of EU - Viet Nam relations happened in unprecedented times, where COVID-19 transformed the global landscape and created the necessity for enhanced global cooperation. 

The EU and Viet Nam agreed to further strengthen their partnership, both bilaterally and within multilateral forums, to uphold the international rules-based order and promote peace and prosperity through a sustainable recovery.

The Joint Committee reviewed challenges in Viet Nam and the EU, as well as regional and international developments. They highlighted their respective engagement in the areas of connectivity, environment and climate action.

The EU and Viet Nam welcomed the launching of the EU-Viet Nam strategic partnership during the Vietnamese ASEAN Chairmanship at the ministerial meeting on December 1, 2020.

The EU greatly appreciated the opportunity given by Viet Nam – Chair of ASEAN 2020 - to attend the Guests of the Chair Programme and the 10th Anniversary ceremony of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM ) held on December 9- 10, 2020.

The Joint Committee discussed the state of play and next steps in the implementation of the different agreements underpinning EU-Viet Nam relations, notably the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, the Framework Participation Agreement, the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement and the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) - Voluntary Partnership Agreement. 

The Joint Committee also discussed the necessary measures in Viet Nam to fight Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. 

The EU encouraged Viet Nam to further efforts to implement the European Commission’s recommendations on IUU fishing. Viet Nam hoped the yellow card warning would be lifted soon. The EU reiterated its availability to continue cooperating with Viet Nam in this matter in the framework of the bilateral IUU formal dialogue.

The Joint Committee also exchanged views on the focal sectors of the development cooperation programme in 2014-2020, notably sustainable energy, governance, and the rule of law. 

They reviewed proposals for cooperation in the field of human rights, including implementing accepted recommendations under the Universal Periodic Review and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The EU hoped that those important recommendations would be implemented soon.

The Joint Committee recalled how, since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1990, EU - Viet Nam cooperation has evolved exponentially, spanning across many important domains such as foreign policy, trade, environment, energy, science and technology, good governance, as well as security and defense.

The next Joint Committee meeting is expected to take place in Ha Noi in 2021.

By Thuy Dung