Eu 4 benin

Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysia and the EU held the 8th Senior Officials' Meeting at the premises of the EU delegation in Kuala Lumpur on August 1. The meeting covered a broad range of issues of mutual interest. They welcomed the upcoming EU-ASEAN Summit as an opportunity to enhance, besides the regional, the bilateral EU-Malaysia relations as well. The sides agreed to step up cooperation notably in the areas of trade and investment, security, human rights, economy, climate change, environment and forests, energy security and renewable energy and sustainable supply chains. They also welcomed the progress towards the signing of the Malaysia-EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), aiming to sign the agreement within the framework of the EU-ASEAN Summit in December in Brussels. The participants also confirmed they remained interested in a possible future resumption of trade negotiations once the conditions are right. On palm oil, they recalled the Second Joint Working … [Read more...] about Malaysia, EU hold 8th Senior Officials’ Meeting

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The socio-economic impacts of the two-year-old EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement ( EVFTA ) along with issues that the deal poses for Vietnam were under focus at a scientific seminar held in Hanoi on August 4. Opening the event, Vice President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences ( VASS ) Dang Xuan Thanh said despite the obvious benefits brought by the EVFTA, the optimization of incentives offered by the deal has not met expectations. He cited examples such as Vietnam’s exports still focus on some traditional markets, and the mechanism for linking localities with Vietnamese representative agencies abroad for trade and investment promotion remains incomplete. He hoped the seminar would identify outstanding problems in and draw lessons from the enforcement of the EVFTA over the past two years, and work out solutions to better utilize the deal in the following years. Regarding the impacts of the EVFTA on Vietnam’s … [Read more...] about Seminar seeks ways to optimize EU-Vietnam FTA

Global wheat consumption is headed for its biggest annual decline in decades as record inflation forces consumers and companies to use less and replace the grain with cheaper alternatives, amid growing food insecurity. Consumers may face even higher wheat prices in the second half of 2022 as importers, who until now have supplied cargoes bought several months earlier at cheaper prices, pass on the costs from when wheat prices scaled decade highs in May. Global wheat consumption in July-December could drop by 5%-8% from a year ago, analysts, traders and millers say, much faster than the U.S. Department of Agriculture's forecast 1% contraction. "There is going to be a drop in wheat demand for animal feed in Europe and China. Wheat demand for human consumption has also slowed in key importing countries around the world," said Erin Collier, an economist at UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation. "High prices have raised food security worries in parts of Asia and Africa where … [Read more...] about Analysis: As wheat prices soar, the world’s consumers vote with their feet

As much of Europe bakes in a third heatwave since June, fears are growing that extreme drought driven by climate change in the continent's breadbasket nations will dent stable crop yields and deepen the cost-of-living crisis. The European Commission on Wednesday urged EU member states to re-use treated urban wastewater as irrigation on the continent's parched farms, after France and parts of England saw their driest July on record. In France, where an intense drought has hammered farmers and prompted widespread limits on freshwater use, there was just 9.7 millimetres (0.38 inches) of rain last month, Meteo-France said. That was 84 percent down on the average levels seen for July between 1991 and 2022, making it the driest month since March 1961, the agency added. The southwestern region of Gironde, already devastated by last month's wildfires, saw a maximum temperature of 39.6 degrees Celsius (103 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, with Meteo-France predicting a peak on … [Read more...] about Driest July in memory imperils Europe’s crops

MDF production line at Thanh Thanh Dat MDF JSC's factory in Ha Tinh Province. — VNA/VNS Photo While many products exported to the UK enjoyed strong increases thanks to the UK-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA), Viet Nam’s timber industry is facing difficulties in expanding in this market, requiring manufacturers and exporters to change their business strategies. In fact, Viet Nam’s wood industry is seeing declining sales overseas. The export value in July was estimated at US$1.41 billion, down 5.5 per cent against June and 1.6 per cent year-on-year, according to a report of the General Department of Forestry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). This was the second month that the export of wood and timber products decelerated. Earlier, figures from the General Department of Customs showed the export turnover of wood and wood products reached $1.4 billion in June, down nearly 11 per cent year-on-year. Ending July, wood and wood products were … [Read more...] about Viet Nam’s timber industry urged to seek new opportunities in the UK

Vietnam is regarded as an interesting interlocutor for Greece in Southeast Asia. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, in remarks made during his visit to Hanoi, highlighted Vietnam’s growing role in the region and the world, wishing to enhance relations with Vietnam in Greece’s diplomacy towards the Asia-Pacific region. Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias in Hanoi on August 1. Photo: VNA Greece treasured Vietnam’s role and position in the region, FM Dendias shared the view during the meetings with Vietnam’s President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son on August 1. “I believe that Vietnam, a country of 100 million people, with a thriving economy of almost US$400 billion, constitutes an interesting interlocutor for Greece in the Southeast Asian region; and that it would be highly beneficial to broaden and deepen our relations,” the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs … [Read more...] about Greece hails Vietnam’s role in region