HANOI, (PNA/VNS) –Negotiations on the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Systems (SPS) play a pivotal role in promoting free trade between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which is also estimated to boost Vietnam’s exports in the European Union (EU).
The message was delivered at a workshop held by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) in Hanoi to conceptualize the SPS for domestic enterprises.
Chief negotiator Tran Trung Thuc said that the SPS applied by the EFTA (including Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) nearly matches the SPS set by the EU.
This means exporters must meet the EU’s requirements if they wish to export to the EFTA.
According to Thonmas Tison, an EFTA expert, the SPS contains the highest similarity between the EFTA and the EU. When the EU ratifies, no country in the EFTA would be allowed to reject SPS-certified products from Vietnam.
The workshop introduced common regulations on the SPS that directed domestic firms to enhance the export of meat and seafood, cereals and vegetables, processed food and pharmaceutical products.
Since May of this year, Vietnam and the EFTA have held five FTA negotiation sessions.
Together with FTA negotiations, the EFTA and Vietnam signed a memorandum of understanding in July to recognize Vietnam as a market economy.