During this visit, Mr. Josep Borrell shared his impressions of the resilient efforts of the Vietnamese people, the rapid development of Vietnam as well as the country's diplomatic efforts to establish close relations with countries around the world.

The EC Vice President attended the State Funeral of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and expressed his deep condolences to the entire Vietnamese people. The EU High Representative also affirmed that the General Secretary had made important contributions to strengthening Vietnam's position in the international arena, including establishing close relations with Europe.

The time is "ripe" for elevating the relationship

During the meeting with Vietnamese leaders during this visit, the EC Vice President said that he always emphasizes the importance of Vietnam in relations with the EU.

“Vietnam is currently the EU's leading trade partner in Southeast Asia, with the largest number of agreements and cooperation arrangements in the region,” Mr. Josep Borrell emphasized.

One of these achievements is thanks to the implementation of the Vietnam - European Union Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) since 2020, contributing to boosting trade growth between the two sides by 36%.

On the other hand, in addition to rapid growth, nature conservation and clean energy generation are also important, the EC Vice President said. “Through the JETP mechanism, the EU is committed to working together with Vietnam towards the net zero target, through priority projects and activities to promote relevant policy reforms,” he said.

Mr. Josep Borrell affirmed that Vietnam is currently a very important partner of the EU, especially in implementing the Indo-Pacific strategy. Since the announcement of this strategy in 2021, the EU has increasingly recognized the central role of the region, as well as ASEAN. Despite the upcoming change and succession in the EU leadership, Europe's interest in this region will continue to be maintained and even stronger, according to Mr. Josep Borrell.

"I hope this visit will kick-start the process of upgrading our bilateral relationship to a new level," said EC Vice President Josep Borrell.

Believing that this is the right time for the two sides to upgrade their relationship, the EC Vice President reaffirmed that Vietnam is the country with the most agreements and treaties with the EU in ASEAN.

“Naturally, when the two sides have a strong, close economic relationship, there needs to be a move to recognize the reality and promote that relationship,” he told Vietnamese media. At the same time, he stated that Vietnam and the EU have deep and strong political goodwill, and need a relationship commensurate with what the two sides have.

Yellow card story

According to the EC Vice President, both the EU and Vietnam need to make efforts to ensure the sustainability of aquatic resources and a sustainable fishing community in the future.

Regarding the issue of removing the “yellow card” on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing for Vietnam’s fisheries sector, he informed that the EU had effective discussions with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, including programs to install equipment on fishing vessels for tracing, contributing to ensuring effective implementation of measures in relevant localities.

The EU side expects Vietnamese authorities to issue a new report this fall before the EU delegation's visit to Vietnam to inspect the actual situation and consider removing the IUU "yellow card".

Regarding the situation in the East Sea, the increase in tensions in this area also makes the EU quite concerned. For the EU, this is a place of direct benefit as 40% of imports and 20% of exports pass through this sea area. Accordingly, the EC Vice President expects the relevant parties to increase dialogue and make more diplomatic efforts. On the EU side, it is ready and has had specific cooperation with Vietnam on peace protection, cyber security, maritime security, crisis management, etc.