ADVOCACY UPDATE (Sep – Oct 2020)

I. ADVOCACY UPDATE

1. Meeting with the EU Delegation to Vietnam | HCMC | 21 September
EuroCham met with H.E. Giorgio Alberti, the EU Ambassador to Vietnam and Mr. Carsten Schittek, Head of Trade Section, to discuss upcoming cooperation for EVFTA implementation.
  

2. Working Session on Pharmaceutical industry | HCMC | 22 September
EuroCham board members and Pharma Group and IQMED Sector Committees met with the EU Delegation to discuss Circular 32 and the issue of Marketing Authorisation.
   
Follow up: Sector Committees have written to Mai Tien Dung, Chairman of the Office of Government and ACAPR, as well as provided additional information to the EU Delegation to Vietnam to support their further talks with the Government and Ministry of Health.
   

3. “Joining Efforts To Improve Business Environment – Facilitate The Fast And Effective Promotion Of Private Investment & FDI In The New Era” | Hanoi | 24 September 
EuroCham Vice-Chair Tomaso Andreatta delivered a speech at a special dialogue event to mark the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with VBI Fast Track on 24 September in Hanoi.
  
MOU covers commitments:

To advise and support the Government on the mechanisms and policies to attract foreign direct investment (“FDI”), and simultaneously acting as a bridge to help the Government approach and negotiate with multinational companies and other large foreign corporations to achieve mutual benefits from co-investment;

To cooperate with the Government, the Working Group and other central and local agencies to assist the foreign investors who will or are currently implementing their investment projects in Vietnam to overcome the barriers on administration, creating favorable conditions and promoting the operation of these enterprises at the local level;

To introduce and promote new European investments to Vietnam and create best platform to further enhance the economic partnership between the Europe and Vietnamrelation, as well as the expand role of EuC as the “key factor between EU and Vietnam trade and investment

Report:

4. EVFTA webinar with the Embassy of Singapore and coordinated by the EU –ASEAN Business Council | Webinar | 25 September
   
EuroCham Chair Nicolas Audier and Vice-Chair Jean Jacques Bouflet joined this webinar on the EVFTA.

5. Annual Dialogue and EVFTA Conference with HCMC Department of Customs | HCMC | 6 October
     
EuroCham, HCMC Dept. of Customs and Customs News co-organised a conference with around 260 guests including VIPs from MOF and GDC, HCMC Vice-Chairman Le Thanh Liem along with Departments of Customs from Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces.
   
The event featured discussions on the EVFTA, Decree 111, and tax policies for the EVFTA’s implementation along with a panel discussion about cooperation between EuroCham and DOC and a Q&A session.
   

II. ACTIVITIES

Cosmetics Sector Committee
Cosmetics Sector Committee signed a joint letter to provide comments on the Draft Circular amending and supplementing Decree 181/2013/NĐ-CP detailing the law on Advertisement, along with NFG and Legal SC.

Food, Agri & Aqua Business Sector – FAABS 
On 17 September at an event with the Deputy Minister of MARD, Mr. Poulain Jacques shared his vision about plant protection, good agriculture practice and the development of the organic fruit sector in the Mekong Delta as an opportunity to access to the European market.  
   
    
On 22 September, FAABS Co-Chairwoman Marion Martinez joined the launch of a consignment of rice to EU in An Giang Province. The event was chaired by MARD Vice-Minister Le Quoc Doanh.
    
    
On 2 October, FAABS members attended a VCCI-EVFTA conference in HCMC and the Launch of a VCCI-EVFTA Guide.

Green Growth Sector Commitee
The GGSC Circular Working Group had meeting with Deep C on 11 September to discuss the initiatives for implementing Circular Economy among its members.
   
GGSC also sent a joint letter with the Global Wind Energy Council to the Electricity & Renewable Energy Authority, MOIT on the proposal to extend current Tax-in-Tariff for Wind Energy.
  
On 24 September, GGSC co-organized a workshop to promote the Circular Economy with VGBC, VNCSD and VCCI in Hanoi.

HR & Training Sector Committee
Last month, HR&TSC co-organized a webinar on COVID-19 immigration updates and provided comments on the Draft Decree on the recruitment and management of Vietnamese employees working for foreign organizations in Vietnam.
  
Positive changes have been seen in the new draft. Economic organizations with foreign-invested capital of 51% or more no longer have to recruit Vietnamese employees through an authorized intermediary organization.
   
HR&T SC also provided comments on the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Trade Unions.

IQMED-G&B Sector Committee
IQMED – Generic & Biosimilar Sector Committee continues to advocate on the issue of Marketing Authorization validity and Circular 32 (CPP) together with Pharma Group.

Legal Sector Committee
Last month the Legal Sector Committee provided comments on the Draft Circular guiding securities registration, depository, clearing and settlement.

MDDSC
MDDSC sent three joint letters to the Department of Medical Equipment and Construction, MOH regarding proposals on price disclosure for medical equipment along with APAC Med and AdvaMed.
  
MDDSC also participated in a meeting with DMEC on the price disclosure proposals on 15 September.

Mobility Sector Committee
Last month Mobility Sector Committee welcomed a new member: ABB Group.

NFG  
On 28 September, the Sector Committee joined a seminar to discuss the second draft Law on Environmental Protection.
  
NFG provided feedback to MOH’s call on contradictory, overlapping and inadequate legislation which causes difficulties for business operations; and contributed to HR&T SC comments on the Draft Decree on managing employees working for foreign organizations.
   
NFG also drafted a joint letter on the Draft Circular amending and supplementing Decree 181/2013/NĐ-CP detailing the law on Advertisement together with Cosmetics SC and Legal SC.

Pharma Group
Pharma Group continues to advocate on the issue of Marketing Authorization validity and Circular 32 (CPP) together with IQMed – Generics & Biosimilar.

Tourism Sector Committee
The Tourism & Hospitality Sector Committee held a meeting with representatives of the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) on 9 September.

Transport & Logistics Sector Committee
Considering the election in November for the new Board of TLSC

Wine & Spirits Sector Committee
WSSC will have a new Co-Chair after Ludovic Ledru, Managing Director of Pernod Ricard, was chosen to succeed Patrick Castanier in that role. Mr Ledru will therefore take the position of Co-Chair of WSSC.