Statement from the European Union Domestic Advisory Group of the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement

The European Union Domestic Advisory Group (EU DAG), established under the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), with the purpose to advise the Parties on the implementation of the Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) obligations of the agreement, met for the first time of its second term on 18 September 2023.

As a positive outcome of its work during the 2020-2023 term, the EU DAG highlights its intent to continue four working groups composed of members from the three different sub groups on different themes. It also took note of the excellent desk study the EU DAG committed on global supply chains, and the joint working group established with the Vietnam DAG, following the joint meeting in Hanoi in October 2022. In this context, the EU DAG members emphasize the added value of meeting in person.

The focus of both the desk study and the joint working group has been on the question of due diligence, where the Vietnamese counterparts have underlined the importance of capacity building and the understanding of the implications of new legislation that has been adopted or is planned in the EU. The EU DAG will look further into this topic at its next meeting.

The space for civil society has over the last few years been a recurrent theme in the discussions of the EU DAG. At this first meeting of the second term, the DAG members took note of a recent report on the freedom of assembly in Vietnam, underlining the importance of respecting international treaties on human rights that bind the parties and that are an essential element of their relations and of the EVFTA.

The EU DAG also reaffirms its expectation on the effective and timely implementation of the Work Plan on Labour Rights produced by the Vietnamese government, including the decrees on worker representation and collective bargaining as well as the ratification of ILO C87 that should also be addressed at the next TSD Committee meeting.

The EU DAG welcomes the increased attention of the TSD Committee on environmental challenges, and stresses the need for further action on issues such as wildlife trafficking and aquaculture.

The EU DAG looks forward to the organisation of the joint meetings end November this year and to welcoming the Vietnam DAG to Brussels. It reiterates the essential role the DAGs have in advising on the implementation of the agreement.