A historic agreement The European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) started negotiations for a region-to-region free trade agreement in 2007. After negotiations were suspended in 2009, the EU decided to pursue bilateral trade agreements with the individual ASEAN member states. Negotiations between the EU and Vietnam on a free trade agreement were launched in 2010. Following the completion of technical discussions, talks were finalized in December 2015. In February 2016, the full text of the EVFTA was published. However, the official signing of the trade deal was delayed due to the pending judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on jurisdiction for the conclusion of the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement. To take the 2017 CJEU opinion into account, the original deal was split into the EVFTA and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) in June 2018. Both agreements were signed on June 30, 2019 in Hanoi. The European … [Read more...] about EU trade deal offers opportunities to increase exports
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Industries hit hard by rising fuel prices
"If we do not operate regularly, we will lose our slots at bus stations, but the more we operate, the more we lose because of surging costs," Do Van Bang, CEO of Sao Viet’s parent company, Minh Thanh Phat, said. Sao Viet has reducing the number of trips to cut costs. Bang said the only way to break even is to increase fares by 15-20 percent, but with competition being intense, the time is not right for it. But the company would not be able to absorb the losses for long, he added. The company is one of many to lose due to the 39 percent rise in fuel prices since the beginning of this year. Nguyen Manh Hung, CEO of transport firm International Logistics, said fuel accounts for 40 percent of costs, and so the increases in their prices has affected the company. It is not easy to negotiate price hikes with customers, he said. "We are trying to cut all other expenses to survive the fuel price surge." Half of all fishing vessels in Vietnam have stopped going out to sea … [Read more...] about Industries hit hard by rising fuel prices
HCMC enjoying great achievements in economic recovery
Seafood processing for export to the US market. (Photo: SGGP) If this recovery pace continues, the economic status of the city for the last 6 months this year is truly promising, turning completely back to the time before the Covid-19 outbreak. This means the estimated growth rate of 6-7 percent for 2022 compared to 2019 and 2020 can be fulfilled. Experts in the field, however, have always raised the question whether it is possible to reach a higher goal when may supporting policies are in effect. Statistics from the aspects of public investment, public resource mobilization, construction, and real estates reveal a decrease of 10 percent compared to this time previous years, meaning certain ineffectiveness in addressing existing economic issues. In addition, the administrative reform has been initiated but the results are not as expected when HCMC is only in the average group. This has asked for a long-term campaign to create good habits in public services. In the next 6 … [Read more...] about HCMC enjoying great achievements in economic recovery
Spooked investors keep tabs on market turbulence
According to the Petroleum Securities Company, Vietnam’s stock market has been in a downtrend since June 15 when it fell more than 20 per cent from its all-time high and around 19 per cent since the start of 2022. The VN-Index has also continuously broken important support levels, notably the highly-expected support test area of 1,200 points. This left investors unable to understand the cause, with some in a state of panic when the stock reached the lowest point last week and plummeted steeply again this week. At a talk show named “Taking action in the eye of the storm” held by VIR on June 23, Ngo The Hien, analyst director of Hanoi Securities Company explained the sharp decline was based on three factors. “The market is impacted by negative signs, particularly news that US inflation is reaching peaks, which prompted the Federal Reserve to increase interest rates by 0.75 percentage points, thus producing market volatility in the global and domestic market,” Hien said. “Secondly, … [Read more...] about Spooked investors keep tabs on market turbulence