Meat exports from Europe to Vietnam have seen a strong increase in recent years, according to the Vietnam General Customs. European beef, pork and chicken imported by to Vietnam have increased seven-fold in the last two years, according to the agency. In the first two quarters of 2015 alone, nearly 1,000 tonnes of pork were imported into Vietnam, up 25 percent in volume and 63 percent in value, it said. With tax incentives from the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which is set to be signed in a few months, more meat products from Europe are expected to enter Vietnam. Wieslaw Rozanski, Chairman of the Union of Producers and Employers of the Meat Industry (UPEMI), said Vietnam is considered the most potential market for Europe’s meat products. So far, more than 100 meat producers have been licensed to export to Vietnam. According to Justyna Niemczuk, Commercial General Director of the meat-producing factory Lmeat Lukow S.A, said her company and other European companies were bringing products to Vietnam that would complement the domestic market and not directly compete with local products. Vietnam has a market that is big enough for both foreign and domestic producers, she said. Van Duc Muoi, General Director of the Vietnam Meat Industries Limited Company (VISSAN), said EU companies have extensive experience in international integration and have been active in taking advantage of FTAs. Despite the growing awareness of international integration, Vietnamese companies have been passive and failed to grasp opportunities as well as make use of competitive advantages from FTAs, added Muoi.-VNA