On the 26th of August, EuroCham and Ho Chi Minh City Department of Customs joined together to coorganise a special Webinar on the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreeement (EVFTA) and Origin of Goods in Ho Chi Minh City. The webinar is one of the series of joint activities organised by EuroCham and HCMC Department of Customs within the scope of EVFTA cooperation in 2020.
   
   

EuroCham Vice-Chairmen Mr. Nguyen Hai Minh and Mr. Jean Jacques Bouflet alongside Mr. Lennart Janssen, Chairman of EuroCham’s Transport & Logistics Sector Committee, attended the opening and welcomed the customs authorities. Vice-Chairman Nguyen Hai Minh provided a briefing on the process and the contribution of the chamber to the sucessful signing and ratification of the EVFTA. He also provided an update on EuroCham’s recent works, including the signing of an MOU with Vinamarine (Minsitry of Transport) to promote the logistics and maritime services to support trade and the organisation of an EVFTA Trade Forum with the Ministry of Industry and Trade. EuroCham has also provided input to Vietnamese companies on the EU regulations and standards. Meanwhile, EuroCham has attended meetings with the Goverment and Ministries and contributed to the priority activities which need to the taken to effectively implement the EVFTA and worked with the EU Delegation to Vietnam to organse EVFTA rountables.  
 

Raising awareness and capacity builiding for both business communities is clearly one of the most important tasks. Communication campaigns will be one of the urgent requirements to reach this goal. EuroCham appreciates the work of customs authorities, who are always on the forefront and proactively support the building and completion of policies and regulations. EuroCham has learnt that the Ministry of Finance has submitted to the Government a draft Decree providing the list of imported tariff duties to implement the EVFTA   2020 – 2022, which should be approved by the Government soon. EuroCham appreciates the Ministry of Finance’s support and is committed to further working with the Ministry, the General Department of Customs and Customs Departments to amend and supplement all necessary documents to ensure the EVFTA is smoothly implemented. 
   

   
Attending the webinar’s opening, Mr. Dinh Ngoc Thang, Director of Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Customs, stated that in light of the implementation of the EVFTA on the 1st of August 2020 and the development of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Customs Department has been coordinating with EuroCham to support enterprises to discuss and solve the issues and difficulties. In doing so, this also helps the Customs Department to listen to the businesses for improvements. The conference shall help businesses to gain the knowledge and updates on the customs procedures related to the EVFTA, ensure their compliance, and get the feedback from enterprises regarding import and export policies. This will help the Customs Department to provide quick support, continue to simplify adminsitrative procedures, and enhance the quality of public services while minimizing the costs for businesses.
   
  

The webinar received the participation of 230 people including Customs officials, EuroCham board members, and attendees from the Transport & Logistics Sector Committee and EuroCham members. The webinar’s technical traning was conducted by Mr. Dang Thai Thien, Deputy Head of the Managment and Monitoring Division of HCMC’s Department. The contents provided in the training have enhanced the business community’s knowledge and provided updates on technical issues regarding goods’ origin and EVFTA implementation. It also addressed EuroCham members’ concerns and recommendations covering topics such as: C/O EUR 1, electronic C/O, and self certification documents and customs in various sectors including agriculture, cosmetics, dairy, equipment & machinery, pharmaceuticals, textile, and supporting services.
   

EuroCham will further coordinate with the HCMC Department of Customs to provide detailed feedback to the members attending the webinar. EuroCham will also hold a second webinar on Hamonised System (HS Codes) on the 4th of September, provided by Ms. Hoang Thi Xuan Hoa, Deputy Head of the Export/Import Tax Division.