EU Ambassador gives a presentation to students.

On October 9, 2008, Mr. Sean Doyle, EU Ambassador, and Mr. Andre Haspels, Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam, gave a talk to a large audience of students at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities on the topic: the position and role of the EU in international politics.

The speech reviewed the historical milestones in the formation of the European Union (EU) as we know it today, from the 1957 Treaty of Rome establishing a common market, the creation of the initial European Community with 9 member states in 1973, to the first official election of the European Parliament in 1979. This was followed by the increasing participation of countries in the EU, such as Greece (1981), Spain and Portugal (1986), Australia, Finland, and Sweden (1995), the ten Eastern European countries (2004), and most recently, Romania and Bulgaria (2007). In 2002, the common European currency (euro) was launched.

The EU is one of Vietnam's largest trading partners, with total trade reaching €10.87 billion in 2007. Until 2004, the EU remained Vietnam's largest traditional export market. In 2007, the EU accounted for 19.32% of Vietnam's export value and was its second largest export market after the US. The EU is also currently the second largest investor in Vietnam, with total FDI reaching nearly $5 billion.

In his speech, the Ambassador also emphasized the EU's contributions to global development and trade liberalization, affirming the organization's important role in guiding multilateral principles toward sustainable economic development. The EU also played a key role in the establishment of the WTO in 1996 and was crucial in the Doha Round negotiations, which were expected to make WTO accession more advantageous for poorer countries.

The EU is also considered a major partner in global development assistance activities. The EU's development cooperation goals include: eradicating poverty, promoting gender equality, developing education, improving health and other basic services, sustainable development, and establishing partnerships worldwide. For Vietnam, the EU is one of its leading partners, providing US$962 million in aid in 2007. The main objective of this aid is to reduce poverty in Vietnam.

Concluding his speech, the Ambassador affirmed that the EU is a common voice reflecting the views of the member states of the European Community. And with the Lisbon Treaty signed in 2007, the EU now has the necessary legal frameworks and tools to address future challenges, while simultaneously satisfying the demands of its citizens for a democratic, transparent, cooperative, free, united, and secure Europe.