Vietnam strengthens cooperation with EU and Belgium on environment and sustainable development

Photo caption — Acting Minister of Agriculture and Environment , Tran Duc Thang and European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resources and Circular Economy, Jessica Raswall. Photo: Huong Giang/VNA

According to a VNA reporter in Brussels, in order to promote partnerships with European partners, Acting Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang paid a working visit to the Kingdom of Belgium, working with the European Commission (EC) Commissioner for Environment, Water Resources and Circular Economy Jessica Raswall, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Employment and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Belgium David Clarinval, and leaders of the Walloon region.

The meetings took place in a friendly, open and substantive atmosphere, demonstrating the determination of Vietnam, the European Union (EU) and the Kingdom of Belgium in enhancing comprehensive cooperation for the goal of green development and sustainable prosperity.

At the working session with High Commissioner Jessica Raswall, the two sides focused on exchanging cooperation orientations on environmental protection, sustainable management and use of natural resources, ecosystem restoration, biodiversity conservation, waste management, circular economy development and carbon market.

The EC highly appreciated the visit of Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang, considering this the first working trip at the Ministerial level between Vietnam and the EC focusing exclusively on the environmental field, demonstrating the importance of the Vietnam-EU partnership in global efforts to respond to climate change. Commissioner Raswall emphasized that the EU always considers Vietnam a key partner in Southeast Asia in promoting green growth, emission reduction and sustainable transition.

Ms. Raswall also shared that the EU is implementing many global initiatives such as water resource management, air pollution control, circular economy development and especially the Regulation on Deforestation and Forest Degradation (EUDR), an important policy tool to ensure that products imported into the EU are produced in a sustainable and transparent manner.

Speaking at the meeting, Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang affirmed that Vietnam highly appreciates the EU's leading role in environmental protection and sustainable development. He emphasized that Vietnam is determined to implement international commitments on climate, including the goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050 as announced by the Prime Minister at the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26).

The Acting Minister said that Vietnam-EU cooperation in the field of environment still has much untapped potential, especially in the circular economy, water resources management and carbon market mechanism. Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang proposed that the two sides soon develop and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on environment to guide the framework for long-term and effective cooperation.

The EC highly appreciated this initiative and affirmed its readiness to support Vietnam in sharing experiences, transferring green technology, improving environmental management capacity and promoting green investment. Both sides agreed that strengthening cooperation in the environmental field not only benefits each country, but also contributes positively to global goals on sustainable development and responding to the climate crisis.

During his working trip to Belgium, Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Affairs, Employment and Agriculture, David Clarinval. Both sides acknowledged that agricultural cooperation between Vietnam and Belgium has achieved many positive results in recent times, especially in the fields of trade, investment, science and technology and human resource training.

Deputy Prime Minister David Clarinval stressed that Belgium considers Vietnam an important partner in the Asian region, and suggested that Vietnam soon review the list of Belgian products and businesses eligible for export to Vietnam, especially products of animal origin. Vietnam affirmed that the agricultural products of the two countries are complementary and do not compete directly, thereby opening up a diverse space for cooperation in developing green and sustainable agricultural value chains.

Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang proposed that the two sides consider organizing a “Vietnam-Belgium Agricultural Business Connection Forum” to enhance investment exchange and cooperation in the fields of high-tech agriculture, circular economy and green agricultural value chains. Vietnam hopes that Belgium will continue to support capacity building in food safety, research and application of science and technology, especially in the field of biotechnology to serve the development of modern agriculture and adaptation to climate change.

The two sides agreed to maintain regular dialogue and expand cooperation in potential areas such as green agriculture, innovation, digital transformation and sustainable agricultural value chain development, contributing to deepening the strategic partnership on agriculture between Vietnam and Belgium.
In the city of Namur, Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang worked with Mr. Adrien Dolimont, Minister-President of the Walloon region, and Ms. Annie-Catherine Dalcq, head of the region's agriculture sector.

The meeting took place in a friendly, open and substantive atmosphere, demonstrating the two sides' shared determination to promote cooperation in agriculture, environment and sustainable development, areas of strength for both Vietnam and the Walloon region.

In recent years, cooperation between Vietnam and Wallonia has achieved many concrete results, with more than 90 technical assistance projects funded by Wallonia for Vietnamese state management agencies, research institutes and universities in the fields of agriculture and environment. These projects have contributed to improving research capacity, technology transfer and management, supporting Vietnam in the process of transitioning to green agriculture, adapting to climate change.

Wallonia affirmed its willingness to continue supporting Vietnam in areas of mutual interest, especially climate change response, food safety, agricultural science and technology development and biotechnology application. These are also orientations in line with Vietnam's agricultural and environmental development strategy in the coming period.

Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang highly appreciated the contribution of the Walloon region to the bilateral cooperation relationship and expressed his willingness to create favorable conditions for Walloon enterprises to invest and implement projects in Vietnam. The two sides agreed to build a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the fields of agriculture and environment, focusing on research, training and transfer of biotechnology. The signing of the MoU is expected to open a new, deeper and more effective phase of cooperation, contributing to strengthening the friendly relationship between Vietnam and the Walloon region in particular and the Kingdom of Belgium in general.

Expanding cooperation in the fields of environment, agriculture and sustainable development not only demonstrates Vietnam's determination to implement international commitments on climate and green growth, but also contributes to bringing the Vietnam - EU - Belgium relationship into a new stage of development: profound, substantive and towards a sustainable future for both sides.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/viet-nam-tang-cuong-hop-tac-voi-eu-va-bi-ve-moi-truong-phat-trien-ben-vung-20251013065609672.htm