EU seeks to strengthen partnership with Vietnam in renewable energy, aerospace, telecom

The EU is looking to enhance cooperation with Vietnam across a range of sectors, including infrastructure, transportation, renewable energy, aerospace, telecommunications, and green transformation.

Julien Guerrier, ambassador and head of the EU delegation to Vietnam, made the statement at a meeting with Vietnam's Party General Secretary To Lam on Thursday.

Guerrier expressed agreement with Lam’s view that science, technology, and innovation are vital resources for development and prosperity. He emphasized the EU’s willingness to support Vietnam in fulfilling its goals of becoming a developed country by 2045 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

The ambassador also underscored that the EU and Vietnam share mutual interests in maintaining an undisrupted supply chain and international trade system, which are essential for the growth and prosperity of both sides.

At the meeting, Party chief Lam highlighted that the EU is one of Vietnam’s most important strategic partners. He expressed satisfaction with the dynamic and comprehensive development of bilateral relations over the past 35 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1990.

Currently, the two sides are implementing four cooperation agreements and eight dialogue mechanisms spanning politics, diplomacy, trade, investment, defense, and security. The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), in effect for five years, has significantly boosted bilateral trade.

Vietnam is now the EU’s largest trading partner in ASEAN, while the EU ranks as the Southeast Asian country’s fourth-largest trading partner and sixth-largest investor. In 2024, two-way trade reached nearly $70 billion, while EU investment in Vietnam has surpassed $30 billion to date.

In light of current global geopolitical and trade challenges, Lam stressed the urgent need for enhanced cooperation. He called for deepened political trust, stronger dialogue, and a clear roadmap to elevate the partnership to a new, more substantive and mutually beneficial level. He encouraged greater high-level exchanges and more effective implementation of the EVFTA to further expand trade and investment.

He welcomed the EU’s interest in key areas such as green and digital transformation, sustainable development, science-technology, innovation, renewable energy, sustainable transport infrastructure, the defense industry, legal affairs, and human resource training.

Lam urged the two sides to address trade barriers under the EVFTA and improve the efficiency of EU development aid to Vietnam.

General Secretary To Lam also highlighted the importance of training-educational cooperation and people-youth exchanges, he proposed that both parties consider facilitating visa policies to promote greater mobility for their citizens.