On 20 March 2019, the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) introduced the 11th edition of its annual Whitebook at the conference themed: “EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement: Ho Chi Minh City as the bridge to Europe” in Ho Chi Minh City.
The conference attracted representatives from Ho Chi Minh City leaders, Departments and agencies, European diplomatic missions, EuroCham Business Associations, Sector Committees and members, partners and media agencies. The event featured speeches by Vice-Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Mr. Le Thanh Liem and Co-Chairman of EuroCham Mr. Nicolas Audier, presentations of EuroCham’s 8 Sector Committees addressing trade and investment issues and recommendations on three topics: Healthcare, Consumer’s Choice, Sustainability and Efficiency.
CEEC Vice Chairwoman, Ms. Magdalena Krakowiak gave a speech about IQMED Generics & Biosimilar and CEEC Executive Committee Member, Mr. Minh Nguyen, took a part at the panel discussion which provided chances for Ho Chi Minh City and the EU to discuss investment policies of the City and outlook of the EVFTA in order to utilizing opportunities and address challenges once the deal is ratified.
More detail can be found on Eurocham website.
“The structure of the Whitebook is designed to provide a concise view of the issues affecting European businesses in Vietnam. In line with this objective, for each chapter in the Whitebook, EuroCham has asked members engaged in our 16 Sector Committees to focus on the discussion of a maximum of three (3) key issues they believe the Vietnamese Government should address as a priority.
The Whitebook 2019 also assesses how these concerns specifically affect Vietnam, for example, through impact on trade, growth or employment. Finally, the chapters put forward specific recommendations to help improve the current situation or resolve relevant challenges.There are twenty (20) chapters in total; including eleven (11) cross-sectoral chapters and nine (9) sectoral chapters”.