A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha attended the inaugural Global Gateway Forum in Brussels, Belgium, from October 25-26, at the invitation of President of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen, according to the Government News.
Initiated by the EU, the forum aims to close the investment gap in large-scale and global infrastructure, thus reflecting the EU’s Connectivity Strategy.
With the theme “Stronger Together through Sustainable Investment”, the forum attracted over 40 high-level government representatives from EU members and partner countries and representatives from financial institutions, the private sector, and international organizations.
Topics of discussion focused on green energy transition and green hydrogen, education and research, critical raw materials, transport corridors, health product manufacturing, and digital infrastructure.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Ha said that while vaccines proved to be the solution to the Covid-19 pandemic, renewable energy and green hydrogen will be the solutions to cope with climate change.
The challenges posed by climate change, he went on, require concerted efforts from all countries, through acts of sharing resources and experience and providing support for narrowing the development gap.
He called on developed countries and the private sector to strengthen the sharing of technology and green finance, and to support human resources training so that the whole world can reach the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
On the first day of the forum, a number of announcements were made in the field of green energy transition, including €500 million ($528 million) for the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) in Vietnam, to foster the country’s renewable energy transition.
While in Brussels, Deputy Prime Minister Ha met with Ms. von der Leyen on October 25, where he said that Vietnam attaches great importance to the partnership and comprehensive cooperation with the EU and highly appreciates its fresh strategies and initiatives on strengthening cooperation with the Asia-Pacific.
He expressed a wish that the EU and its member countries would enhance financial and technical support for Vietnam’s efforts in climate change adaptation and energy transition.
The Deputy Prime Minister also called on EU member countries to soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EUVIPA) and fully implement the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EUVFTA) in a bid to further boost bilateral trade and investment.
He also urged the EC to consider the removal of its “yellow card” warning against Vietnamese seafood exports.
Ms. von der Leyen, for her part, affirmed that the EC will continue giving priority to cooperation with Vietnam in such domains as renewable energy, digital transformation, and green growth, through the implementation of the Global Gateway strategy, which was designed to reduce the worldwide investment gap and boost smart, clean, and secure connections in the digital, energy, and transports sectors, and to strengthen health, education, and research.
Later on the same day, Deputy Prime Minister Ha and Ms. von der Leyen witnessed the signing of the MoU between the Ministry of Finance and the European Investment Bank to support the implementation of the JETP in Vietnam, signifying a mutual commitment to put in place a multi-project credit facility of €500 million ($528 million).
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