Efforts to implement the FTA Index

According to statistics, to date, Vietnam has signed and implemented 17 FTAs ​​with more than 60 partners across all continents. In order to support businesses to grasp and effectively utilize the benefits of FTAs, the province's departments and branches have proactively researched, reviewed, and commented on draft policies and legal documents of central agencies. Along with that, promptly monitor and synthesize information on policies, import and export activities with FTA markets, domestic market needs for the business community; actively update and post the latest information on FTAs, tariff regulations, rules of origin of goods, import and export management mechanisms, etc. on official information platforms. The province also pays special attention to and supports businesses in removing difficulties in production, business, and expanding consumption markets; Take advantage of the advantages and limit the negative impacts of international economic integration brought about by participating in FTAs, contributing to the province's economy continuing to develop stably when Vietnam participates in FTAs...

Casla Joint Stock Company, Chau Son Industrial Park, Phu Ly city continuously expands export markets for supermarket bag products.

In order to carry out the assigned tasks, in recent times, the Department of Industry and Trade has strengthened information and propaganda to civil servants, public employees, workers and people about the Party's viewpoints and policies, the State's policies and laws on the implementation of effective FTAs; disseminated Vietnam's commitments, responsibilities, obligations and rights when participating in economic organizations in the region and the world through specialized programs, seminars and conferences such as: Conference to assess the implementation of new generation FTAs ​​that Vietnam participates in; Workshop to assess the situation of utilizing the FTA between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the European Union (EVFTA) and other FTAs... Every year, the Department coordinates with the professional department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade to organize training courses to update knowledge about the FTAs ​​that Vietnam has signed, opportunities and challenges for businesses for officials, civil servants at departments, branches, localities, management leaders and professionals in the field of import and export at businesses.

The effective implementation of FTAs ​​in the province, especially new-generation FTAs ​​such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the EVFTA, the Vietnam - United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) ... has brought many positive results, creating opportunities for businesses to expand, diversify export markets and participate more deeply in the global supply chain and production network. Specifically, in 2024, the province's export turnover will reach 9,580 million USD, an increase of 27.1%; import turnover will reach 8,150 million USD, an increase of 29.8% compared to 2023. In particular, some new-generation FTA markets have large import and export turnover such as: export turnover in the CPTPP market will reach 3,590.55 million USD, an increase of 22.4%; Import turnover reached 3,314.85 million USD, up 48.0%; export turnover in the EVFTA market reached 183.04 million USD, up 21.4%; import turnover reached 32.69 million USD, up 35.3%; export turnover in the UKVFTA market reached 20.36 million USD, up 10%; import turnover reached 4.33 million USD, up 129.8%; export turnover in the RCEP market reached 3,741.59 million USD, up 98.1%; import turnover reached 4,602.06 million USD, up 21% compared to 2023. In the first 3 months of 2025, the province's export turnover is estimated at 2,712.5 million USD, up 31.5%; Import turnover is estimated at 2.5 billion USD, up 39.7% over the same period in 2024.

Mr. Hoang Chi Dung, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, said: Through the implementation of FTAs, businesses in the province have expressed their response to positive changes in the business environment and administrative procedures, in addition to tariff incentives when exporting goods to markets of countries with which Vietnam has signed FTAs. Some items with large export turnover values ​​to markets of FTA member countries are electronics, plastic beads, plastic products, garments, auxiliary goods, and minerals. The structure of exported goods has changed in a positive direction, increasing the proportion of processed industrial goods with high technology content, and reducing the proportion of exported processed goods.

Despite many positive results, according to the results announced by the Ministry of Industry and Trade on the FTA Index 2024 recently, Ha Nam province only achieved 20.83/40 points, ranking 46th among the total provinces and cities nationwide. In particular, the specific rankings of 4 specific component indexes are: the index on FTA propaganda and dissemination activities ranked 51st; the index on implementing legal regulations to implement FTA ranked 49th; the index on programs and policies to support and enhance the competitiveness of enterprises ranked 46th; the index on sustainable development ranked 47th. This result shows that Ha Nam province still has a lot to do to better support enterprises in participating in international economic integration, especially making good use of the tariff incentives brought by FTA agreements to increase export turnover, enhance production capacity, and seize new opportunities.

To further improve the effectiveness of implementing FTAs, the Provincial People's Committee directed relevant agencies, especially the Department of Industry and Trade, to enhance innovation in the content and form of propaganda about FTA agreements; regularly provide information about FTAs ​​to the business community; establish and operate periodic business dialogue mechanisms by industry or market to quickly grasp information and have timely policy solutions in the process of building and implementing legal documents to implement FTAs.

In addition, review and evaluate the roadmap for implementing current international economic integration commitments and their impacts on each industry and sector to adjust appropriate development strategies; strengthen the understanding of difficulties and obstacles of enterprises, thereby proposing solutions to the province, especially in the face of impacts caused by the US's reciprocal tax policy on Vietnamese goods; remove difficulties and obstacles for enterprises in terms of policy to develop domestic raw materials to help enterprises meet the rules of origin, better take advantage of opportunities brought about by FTAs, especially new generation FTAs...

Nguyen Oanh

Source: https://baohanam.com.vn/kinh-te/no-luc-thuc-hien-chi-so-fta-index-163899.html