This year's Prime Minister's Meeting with Businesses, which is set to take place on May 17 at the National Conference Centre, Hanoi, will bring together about 2,000 delegates, four times that of last year, of which some 1,500 delegates represent the private sector.

Chaired by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, this year’s conference with the theme “Accompanying Businesses”, aims to build an enabling government of integrity, action, service and support in an effort to make business a true driving force for national development.

Since this is the second edition, the meeting will add the report on the implementation of Resolution 35 on business support and development, together with an integrated assessment report of the business community on the implementation of this resolution presented by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). Like the previous edition, business associations and enterprises will express their thoughts, aspirations and recommendations drawn from their business operations. Heads of governmental agencies will exchange and discuss with businesses to address their issues and recommendations. The Prime Minister will deliver concluding remarks and, after the meeting, issue directives on business support. The spirit of the meeting is not only to solve difficulties and concerns but also, more importantly, to promote business development solutions.

Mr Vu Tien Loc, VCCI President, said, according to a survey conducted by VCCI, one year after the first meeting, 75 per cent of enterprises surveyed saw positive changes in government agencies. However, nearly 30 per cent said changes did not meet expectations. “Last year witnessed certain breakthroughs in business environment. However, in order to change the thinking, viewpoint and way of becoming a concrete action, there is still a certain lag in practice, for example, legal policies,” he added.

The investment and business environment was still in difficulty. VCCI has now received about 200 business recommendations on various issues sent to this meeting. For example, although many banks reduce interest rates, businesses still find it hard to access credit source or other resources. Equity in accessing resources between the private sector and the State sector is still distant. VCCI will submit five groups of solutions to the Government to remove difficulties for businesses. Two of them concern removing unreasonable or overlapping regulations, at all levels and resolving administrative procedures.

Immediately after the meeting, on the same day, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers will meet with relevant ministries and agencies to consider solutions to business recommendations. Mr. Loc added that, according to commitments of local authorities, Vietnam will have about 1.4 million businesses by 2020. Thus, the target of having 1 million effective businesses by 2020 set by the Government is achievable. But, to have 1 million effective enterprises, entrepreneurship and innovation are vital to every business and the entire economy.

Hien Le