Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam is working hard to build a constructive and upright governmentto serve people and businesses, while focusing on completing institutions, improvinggovernance capacity, and bringing more opportunities to all enterprises,including investors from Europe, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Speaking atthe “Meet Europe 2018” conference in Hanoi on May 25, PM Phuc said Vietnam isstriving to rank in ASEAN’s top group and achieve high standards in thebusiness environment, while strictly implementing commitments in intellectual propertyprotection.

The countryhas also been encouraging renovation ideas and giving priority to high andenvironmental-friendly technologies, climate change adaptation, and State-ownedenterprise restructuring, he said, adding that reform measures have been implementedin all 63 cities and provinces where European investors and businesses havebeen or will be running investment projects.

TheVietnamese government’s efforts and effective cooperation from internationalpartners, including those from Europe, have been blowing a breath of air andgiving a new facelift to Vietnam’s economy, making it more dynamic and helpingthe country involve deeper in the regional and global value chains, said PMPhuc.

TheGovernment leader said that European partners are leading foreign investors in Vietnamwith total investment of nearly 25 billion USD, and the country’s biggestprovider of non-refundable aid, while two-way trade rose five times in the2006-2017 period, exceeding 50 billion USD last year.

PM Phucheld that Vietnam and Europe, with supplementary relations, are pinning highhope on stronger and more extensive partnership. The 93-million strong marketof Vietnam, with 13 percent them being middle-class people, has seen increasingpurchase power and strong startup movement, he said.

The PMstressed that Vietnam always highly values investment and business operations ofmore than 2,000 European firms in Vietnam, especially in areas where Vietnamhas demand and European firms have advantages such as infrastructuredevelopment, seaport, airport, airport, urban transport, energy, electricity,oil and gas, agriculture, tourism and health.

Socialorganisations and European partners have shown their strong capacity inenvironmental protection, sustainable development, renewable energy, responseto climate change, smart city development, smart agriculture, sustainable tourismand high-quality human resource training, PM Phuc said.

He askedleaders of ministries, sectors and localities to create more favourableconditions for and tackle difficulties facing European partners and enterprisesin Vietnam.

Thegovernment leader also expressed his hope that European partners will designlong-term investment and business strategies in Vietnam, thus reinforcingconnectivity with their Vietnamese firms.

MiriamGarcia Ferrer, Head of the Economic and Trade Section of the European UnionDelegation to Vietnam, showed her optimism about the prospect of the Vietnam-EUtrade partnership amidst complicating trade protectionism in the globe.

The EU isthe second biggest export market of Vietnam, especially for its telephones, coffee,garments, and consumer goods, she said, adding that the EU is the fifth biggestinvestor in Vietnam.

She notedthat Vietnam is a leading ASEAN partner and one of the most important marketsof the EU, stressing that the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA)will contribute to the enhancement of bilateral trade relations.

Meanwhile,Co-Chair of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) NicolasAudier said that the “Meet Europe 2018” is a special event showing unceasingefforts of EuroCham in Vietnam in legal consultancy that has been recognised bythe Vietnamese Government.

Meanwhile,Denis Brunetti, another Co-Chair of EuroCham, said that the EU has acknowledgedthe Vietnamese Government’s efforts in improving legal institutions and businessenvironment and re-shaping the management of enterprises.

Vietnam ismoving forwards and needs partners supporting it in the development path, hesaid, pledging that European businesses will play the role as Vietnam’simportant partners through their investment in the Vietnamese market.

Co-organisedby the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People’s Committee of Hanoi, the EUDelegation to Vietnam and EuroCham in Vietnam, the conference is among thelargest business-to-government events of the year.-VNA