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| The European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development will lead a high-level trade mission to Southeast Asia, including Viet Nam, to explore market opportunities in the region. — Photo thesaigontimes.vn |
HCM CITY (Biz Hub) — The European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development will lead a high-level trade mission to Southeast Asia, including Viet Nam, to explore market opportunities in the region.
Viet Nam will in fact be the first stop on Phil Hogan's itinerary, with the delegation visiting Ha Noi and HCM City from November 2 to 4.
The delegation comprises 41 business executives from food and beverage companies.
According to the EU Delegation to Viet Nam, they represent businesses from various countries like Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and the UK.
They are expected to promote as safe, high-quality and nutritious a range of agricultural and food products like fruits and vegetables, fresh meat, poultry, processed foods, milk and dairy products, and wine and spirits.
They will have a busy itinerary including seminars on the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement and quality food concepts such as Geographical Indications, business opportunities in Viet Nam, a networking lunch, visits to local and international retailers, and B2B meetings.
As a rapidly growing ASEAN economy, Viet Nam offers substantial potential for EU businesses.
The EU is among Viet Nam's largest trading partners, with bilateral trade reaching topping 38.4 billion euro (US$41.93 billion) last year, with the latter enjoying a trade surplus.
The EU was the second largest overseas market for Vietnamese products after the US and Viet Nam ranked 21st among the bloc's trading partners.
The visit comes at an opportune time since the two sides have concluded negotiations for a free trade agreement and expect to sign soon. — VNS