EC Vice President Visits Vietnam

Mr Antonio Tajani, Vice President of the European Commission (EC) in charge of Trade and Investment and European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, paid a working visit to Vietnam from November 12 to 13, 2013 at the invitation of the Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade. The EC Vice President was accompanied by some 50 leading companies from EU countries.

 

At the meeting, Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade, Vu Huy Hoang, thanked the EC’s cooperation and support for Vietnam and the ministry and hoped accelerated economic, commercial and industrial relations between Vietnam and the EU.

 

EC Vice President Tajani affirmed the EC's determination to promote economic, commercial and industrial and investment relations with Vietnam, citing his visit as concrete evidence.

 

According to statistics from the General Department of Customs, export turnover between Vietnam and EU member states reached US$24.8 billion in the first nine months of 2013, up 20.8 percent year on year over the same period of 2012. Specifically, Vietnam earned US$17.8 billion from exports to the EU, up 25.1 percent while spending approximately US$7 billion on imports, 11.1 percent.

 

Currently, 23 out of 28 EU member states have investment projects in Vietnam. As of the end of September 2013, the EU had more than 1,800 effective investment projects with a total registered capital of over US$32.8 billion, of which US$13.1 had been disbursed.