Question:
The trade and sustainable development commitments in EVFTA do not raise the issue of trade sanctions. What could be the negative implications of this for environmental pollution, such as cement and metallurgy, which may potentially shift from the EU to Vietnam?
Answer:
– The environmental commitments in the Trade and Sustainable Development Chapter of EVFTA only cover the implementation of international and multilateral agreements related to climate change, biodiversity, sustainable forest management and trade in forest products, and sustainable management of marine biological resources and aquaculture products. These are all agreements that Vietnam is participating in, so related domestic regulations have been developed to ensure the implementation of these agreements. The EU itself is also recognized as one of the leading partners in the world in terms of compliance with these regulations.
– On the other hand, this Chapter also contains some relatively new provisions that Vietnam is participating in for the first time within the framework of an FTA. Therefore, the absence of trade sanctions will somewhat reduce the pressure on Vietnam in ensuring the full implementation of commitments without affecting the economic benefits obtained from the Agreement.
Question:
How does the EVFTA impact the cultural and social life due to commitments in the education services?
Answer:
In the EVFTA, in the field related to culture and ideology, Vietnam does not commit to market opening. Specifically, in education services, although Vietnam has made certain commitments regarding market opening in the WTO and current FTAs, it still reserves the right to not allow foreign investment in providing education services in subjects related to national security, defense, politics, religion, Vietnamese culture, and other subjects necessary to protect Vietnam’s social ethics. Therefore, the impact of the EVFTA on cultural and social life is negligible.
Question:
What impact will the EVFTA agreement have on Vietnamese farmers and the agriculture sector?
Answer:
– The agriculture sector is expected to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the EVFTA agreement. When the EVFTA comes into effect, many Vietnamese products will have their tariffs reduced to 0%, such as rice, various products made from grains, etc. For fruits and vegetables, the EU has also committed to eliminating tariffs when the EVFTA is in effect. In the case of seafood, about 50% of tariff lines will be removed, and the remaining 50% will be phased out over a period of 5-7 years. It is projected that the export growth rate of certain agricultural sectors will increase significantly by 2025 due to EVFTA, for example, rice (an additional 65% increase by 2025), sugar (8%), pork (4%), forestry products (3%), livestock and poultry (4%), beverages, and tobacco (5%). On another note, integration also creates additional employment opportunities, helping farmers transition from agriculture to other sectors and improving their livelihoods.
– Another opportunity that the EVFTA agreement brings to the Vietnamese agriculture sector is the attraction of investment projects in agriculture, facilitating technology transfer and production organization methods in agriculture. This, in turn, helps increase the quantity and quality of agricultural products, gradually bringing Vietnamese agricultural products up to the stringent standards of the European market.
– However, seizing these opportunities is not easy. While the door is open, Vietnamese agricultural products still need to overcome various barriers such as EU technical barriers regarding origin, product quality, or intellectual property protection. With the fragmented and small-scale nature of agricultural production, farmers and businesses in the agriculture sector must actively enhance production capacity and product quality, seek markets, and build a brand for Vietnamese agricultural products.
