Ambassador Sean Doyle, Head of the European Union Delegation to Vietnam, was the keynote speaker at the regular meeting on May 20, 2010, of the International Economic and Cultural Exchange Club of the Center for International Cultural Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities.The topic of his presentation to the audience was "Vietnam-EU Relations." Along with Sean Doyle, the talk also attracted the attention of many European and Asian ambassadors to Vietnam and many former Vietnamese ambassadors abroad. The presentation focused on information about the organizational mechanisms within the European Union and their importance; the history of relations between Vietnam and EU members; cooperation between Vietnam and the EU through various programs and projects jointly undertaken by both sides; the challenges Vietnam is currently facing in this relationship; the immediate cooperation priorities of the EU; and the prospects for future cooperation between the two sides. The European Commission and Vietnam established diplomatic relations in 1990. Prior to that, many European countries had traditional relations with Vietnam dating back to 1969, such as Central European countries, Finland, and Sweden. Currently, 20 out of 27 member states have embassies in Hanoi. Currently, the EU is one of Vietnam's three largest donors, providing approximately 1 billion euros annually across various sectors: supporting industry development, educational management innovation, healthcare capacity building, education budget support, tourism human resource development, and multilateral trade policy support. Vietnam is benefiting from numerous large-scale EU projects and programs such as the NGO Program, EIDHR Program, Asia Invest, Asia Link, SWITCH Asia, and DIPECHO. In the future, the EU aims to support Vietnam in implementing projects related to higher education, judicial partnerships, healthcare policy support, improving the lives of ethnic minorities, and building capacity for environmentally and socially responsible tourism.
The presentation captivated the audience. Numerous comments and exchanges of information were sent to the Ambassador, revolving around the prospects of Vietnam-EU relations and related to current issues of public interest such as: how the Greek debt crisis will affect European finance and Vietnam; the future value of the EU currency and its impact on bilateral trade between Vietnam and the EU; the European Commission's stance on anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese leather shoes; the prospects of signing a new Vietnam-EU framework agreement; the EU's assessment of Vietnam's role in Asia; EU policies and mechanisms aimed at narrowing the wealth gap and promoting equitable development among member states...
