Businesses Supported to Utilise Tariff Preferences

In the framework of Multilateral Trade Assistance Project (MUTRAP III) of the European Union, the Ho Chi Minh City Branch of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI - HCM) collaborated with MUTRAP III to organise the “Workshop on Preferential Rules of Origin with MUTRAP III and UNCTAD Experts” in Ho Chi Minh City. The event aimed to help businesses to fully grasp preferential rules of origin. Thus, they could understand and apply regulations properly to boost export development of Vietnam.

 

At this workshop, experienced experts from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and MUTRAP III presented preferential rules of origin to delegates. One of keynote topics was the new EU GSP (Generalized System of Preferences) rules of origin applied from January 1, 2011. The new rules of origin have opened up new opportunities of preferential tariffs for Vietnam. Compared to previous rules, this one simplifies GSP rules and procedures for developing countries like Vietnam. Therefore, it helps exporters have more options for EU rules and facilitate the deep penetration of Vietnamese commodities into 27 EU member countries with a population of over 500 million people.

 

Ms Emanuela Balestrieri, MUTRAP III international expert, and Mr Stefano Inama, UNCTAD expert, stressed opportunities and challenges facing enterprises, particularly private-rune ones, from impacts of free trade agreements Vietnam and ASEAN signed with cooperation partners like ASEAN - China, ASEAN - Japan and ASEAN - India. They also noted progress and challenges in negotiating Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (TPP) and Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement.