EU diplomat pledges to expand EU-VN ties

The Head of the European Union Delegation to Vietnam, Franz Jessen, has stated he will make every possible effort to strengthen ties between Vietnam and the European bloc.

At a press conference in Ho Chi Minh City on February 14, Jessen said many EU businesses operating in Vietnam see the country as a market with huge potential.

In 2011, the EU and Vietnam renewed their cooperation agreement, which was first signed in 1995. 2011 was also a fruitful year for bilateral economic cooperation as Vietnamese exports to the EU reached US$16.5 billion, a year-on-year increase of 45 percent.

According to the diplomat, the EU and the Vietnamese government have held a series of seminars on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) at working level and are now going to hold more at ministerial level. He noted that the signing of the agreement will benefit the two economies.

Jessen also advised Vietnam to improve its investment environment in order to attract more foreign businesses, not only those from the EU.

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