The virtual meeting 'Business and investment opportunities from European Union-Vietnam free trade agreement' has been held, organized by CEOE, the Secretary of State for Commerce, ICEX Spain Export and Investments and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the Embassy of Vietnam in Spain and Vietrade, to inform about the business and investment opportunities offered by the entry into force of the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement.
The event was opened and moderated by the president of CEOE Internacional, Marta Blanco, and also featured at its inauguration the international director of the Chamber of Spain, Jaime Montalvo, the Secretary of State for Commerce, Xiana Méndez, and the Vice Minister of Commerce and Vietnam Industry, Do Thang Hai.
Also, during the following session, the Deputy Director General for Trade Policy of the European Union (Secretary of State for Commerce of Spain), Álvaro Rodríguez Ruiz; the director of the WTO Division, Department of Multilateral Trade Policy of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Nguyen Son Tra; the general director of Internationalization of the ICEX Spain Export and Investments, Javier Serra; and the CEO of Vietrade, Vu Ba Phu, technically analyzed the main sectors that have benefited the most from the entry into force of the Agreement and how the implementation of this Agreement is expected to develop over the next few years.
Finally, the meeting had a high business component, since several organizations shared their experiences and the impact as a result of the entry into force of the Agreement and their future expectations. At the end, the attendees had the opportunity to participate in a business networking session among the companies attending the meeting.
Intervention by the president of CEOE Internacional:
The president of CEOE Internacional, Marta Blanco, highlighted the importance of this meeting and the entry into force of this Agreement for Spanish and Vietnamese companies. He stressed that the agreement will act as an engine for growth in economic and trade relations between the two countries and will allow to relaunch the high growth rates prior to the pandemic.
He also stated that free trade between the two countries gives rise to multiple other opportunities such as the use of the Asian country as a gateway to the continent and increased bilateral investment, especially from large Spanish multinationals. This last point will materialize soon thanks to the investment agreement that is to be reached.
Finally, he thanked all the institutions that participated in the preparation of the meeting for their collaboration and welcomed the new Vietnamese ambassador to Spain, Hoang Xuan Hai.
