Vietnam and EU signed a free trade agreement

In the afternoon of June 30, in Hanoi, the Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the EU including the Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the Investment Protection Agreement (IPA) have been signed after 9 years of negotiations.

The signing ceremony took place under the witness of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Cecilia Malmstrom – Trade Commissioner of the European Union.

At the signing ceremony, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc reiterated the meeting on the sidelines of the G20 with the President of the European Commission and the EU representative emphasized June 30 as the day of the historic significance of Vietnam – EU relations. “The agreement opens a new horizon for the development of both parties,” the Prime Minister said.

The head of the Vietnamese Government thanked EU partners. He said that the EU with the eastern vision has considered Vietnam as a partner, a potential country and a leading partner in Southeast Asia. “These two important agreements are like two large-scale, modern highways connecting the EU and Vietnam, so that the two parties can access each other’s markets,” the President stressed.