Vietnam & EU reach WTO multilateral issues

08 Sep '06

3 min read

At a meeting with Vietnamese Trade Minister Truong Dinh Tuyen, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson has said that Vietnam and the EU have reached an agreement on all remaining WTO multilateral issues of interest to the EU and Vietnam. The EU sees no further bilateral obstacles to Vietnam's accession to the WTO.

EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said: "Vietnam has made remarkable progress towards WTO accession during the past year. The hard work and persistence have paid off.

The EU has always been a staunch supporter of Vietnam's accession to the WTO, and I am delighted to pass this final milestone. I look forward to our future meetings as equal partners in Geneva".

During their meeting, Commissioner Mandelson and Minister Tuyen also discussed plans to strengthen the partnership with South East Asian countries, focusing on intensifying co-operation on a range of economic issues and looking forward to the launch of a Free Trade Agreement.

On 4 January 1995 the Government of the People's Republic of Vietnam applied for accession to the Agreement establishing the World Trade Organization (WTO), pursuant to Article XII of that Agreement.

The People's Republic of Vietnam and the European Commission agreed bilateral commitments on 9 October 2004.

These commitments will be embodied in the Protocol of Accession of the People's Republic of Vietnam to the WTO.

Having completed bilateral agreements with all WTO members, Vietnam's accession to the WTO is now the subject of a multilateral Working Party negotiation at the WTO in Geneva.

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