Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh (fifth from left) on June 18 met with representatives from several European business associations to discuss measures to speed up the signing of the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU-Viet Nam Investment Promotion Agreement (EVIPA) as part of his working visit to the EU and Belgium. — VNA/VNS Photo

The European Council announced on Tuesday that it has approved the European Union – Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU – Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), and assigned the EU to sign the deals with Viet Nam on June 30 in Ha Noi

The EVFTA and EVIPA are the most ambitious agreements concluded between the EU and a developing country.

Once the EVFTA takes effect, over 99 per cent of tariff on goods from both sides will be lifted. Viet Nam will remove 65 per cent of import tariff on goods from the EU. Remaining tariffs will be removed in the next decade.

Besides offering significant economic opportunities, the trade agreement ensures that trade, investment and sustainable development go hand in hand, by setting the highest standards of labour, safety, environmental and consumer protection.

Meanwhile, the EVITA will help enhance the EU’s investment in Viet Nam.

Viet Nam is the EU’s second largest trade partner in ASEAN with a trade value of nearly 50 billion euros (about US$56 billion).

The FTA was initiated in June 2012 and negotiations on the deal concluded in 2015.

After legal review, the EU proposed dividing the FTA into the EVFTA and EVIPA in September 2017.

After being signed, the two deals will be submitted to the European Parliament (EP) for consent.

The EVFTA is expected to be approved by the EP later this year or early 2020.

Meanwhile, it will take at least two years for the EVIPA to be ratified by the EP and member parliaments. VNS