Despite bad impacts of the global economic crisis, trade between Vietnam and the EU reached US$15.2 billion in 2009, surpassing the set goal of US$15 billion in a master plan on the Vietnam-EU diplomatic ties in 2010, Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade's European Market Department Dang Hoang Hai, said.
However, Vietnamese firms should be more active in producing, designing and marketing goods to the EU.
Difficulties
Hai said products exported to the EU meet demand of 28 member countries of it and each member has it own cultural identities and consumption styles as well as business culture. This is a big challenge for companies. With the aim of protecting people’s health and ensuring the sustainable development, the EU is a demanding market for technical regulations. Since 2009, the EU has issued and enhanced measures to protect consumers and environment, therefore, a number of Vietnamese exports such as seafood, footwear, wooden products and foodstuff are facing difficulties to enter the EU. Enhancing the inter-EU production also results in difficulties for Vietnamese companies which have to seek to further penetrate into the EU, but are not offered protective measures.
The EU is the targeted market for many exporters in the world due to its big competitiveness. Last year, in the context of the global economic downturn, many countries select measures to boost exports, particularly to the EU. In spite of many active policies for Vietnam-EU trade ties, over the pasts few years, the EU has still offered more priorities for the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP). It exempts the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) for least developed countries and gives priorities for five ASEAN countries namely Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
At a forum named “Export and market opportunities with the EU” recently held in Ho Chi Minh City, Commercial Counselor of the European Commission's delegation to Vietnam, Antonio Berenguer, said Vietnam and the EU are beefing up their cooperation ties after the global economic slowdown. The Vietnamese government and Ministry of Industry and Trade are boosting trade ties with EU to deal with barriers for local exports to the block. The Southeast Asian nation has also actively attended in negotiations of Free Trade Agreement between ASEAN and the EU, therefore, the two sides will understand them more in the near future. This year, trade ties between Vietnam and the EU will be better than 2009.
To boost exports to the EU
Antonio Berenguer also noted that the EU’s regulations in importing goods are quite complicated and relatively difficult to understand compared to countries in different regions such as illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU), regulations on animal care and upcoming regulations on origin of wooden products. Therefore, Vietnamese companies should focus on studying contents of acts that the EU has and will issue soon.
To accelerate exports to the EU, in the coming time, experts in the European Commission's delegation to Vietnam, said besides the local government’s attempt, the key to successes is still businesses’ activities. Companies should not sit to wait for orders from the EU like previously, but must be more active to get access to the EU. Matthias Duchn, Managing Director of EuroCham, said Vietnamese firms should consider EU customers’ demand which concentrates on products good for your health and the environment. In general, the EU market has a diversified taste of a community which sees a larger influx of immigrants, old and high-income people.
Furthermore, Vietnamese enterprises and business associations should actively participate in contributing their opinions to the negotiation process of FTA between ASEAN and the EU.
P.V
Vietnamese
