The high-level roundtable between Party General Secretary and President Tô Lâm and leaders of major European and Belgian businesses held in Brussels on October 22. — VNA/VNS Photo

BRUSSELS — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam and President Tô Lâm has called for Việt Nam and European partners to deepen economic cooperation by raising technological content, strengthening competitiveness and integrating businesses more closely into global value chains.

Speaking at a high-level roundtable with major European and Belgian businesses on Thursday, during his official visit to the European Union (EU) and Belgium, the top leader said economic cooperation should go beyond expanding trade and investment to deliver higher-quality, more sustainable and mutually beneficial outcomes.

He said the global economic environment remained complex, but Việt Nam continued to maintain strong growth momentum, demonstrating resilience, adaptability and positive development prospects.

The Government would continue working with investors to resolve difficulties and create a transparent, stable and favourable business environment, enabling international companies to invest for the long term and contribute to the country's rapid and sustainable development, General Secretary and President Tô Lâm added.

The leader noted that relations between Việt Nam and the EU, as well as Việt Nam and Belgium, were entering a period of new opportunities. He called for more effective implementation of the EU–Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and efforts to complete ratification of the EU–Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), which would provide a more favourable legal framework for long-term investment.

He outlined three priority areas for cooperation.

The first is strategic infrastructure, logistics, seaports, clean energy and the circular economy. Việt Nam has substantial demand for transport infrastructure, ports, logistics facilities, energy, electricity grids, digital infrastructure and green industrial parks, while European businesses have strengths in planning, engineering, project management, environmental standards, green finance and sustainable development.

He said European companies should move beyond acting solely as equipment suppliers or contractors to become partners in project design, investment, risk management and technology transfer, helping create long-term value.

The second priority is high technology, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and high-tech agriculture.

The top leader said Việt Nam regarded science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and green transition as important drivers of a new growth model.

With Europe home to leading companies in industrial technology, semiconductors, automation, AI, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, biotechnology, precision agriculture and food processing, he said Việt Nam wanted to become a technology development partner.

European companies could work with Vietnamese businesses, research institutes, universities and localities to build new capabilities, he said.

A successful technology project in Việt Nam should not be measured solely by the amount of capital invested, but also by the number of Vietnamese engineers trained, domestic companies incorporated into supply chains and new competitive capabilities created, he added.

The third priority is upgrading trade into high-standard, sustainable and responsible value chains.

While the EVFTA had facilitated market access for goods from both sides, the next phase of cooperation should forge closer links between investment capital, technology, businesses, standards and supply chains, Tô Lâm said.

Việt Nam sought to increase the share of exports to Europe featuring higher technological content, processing, design, branding and added value. It also had substantial demand for European machinery, equipment, pharmaceuticals, technology, materials, green solutions and high-quality services.

He called on European partners to help Vietnamese companies improve governance, product quality, safety, environmental performance, digitalisation and supply-chain responsibility, enabling them to participate more deeply in global value chains.

To translate these priorities into concrete results, Việt Nam would continue improving the stability, transparency, competitiveness and predictability of its investment and business environment, the top leader said.

The country would also improve project preparation, provide transparent information and address legitimate business concerns with clear lines of responsibility, timelines and measurable outcomes.

Relevant ministries, agencies and localities would work alongside investors to advance quality projects that incorporate technology, generate spillover benefits and align with Việt Nam's development priorities, he added.

General Secretary and President Tô Lâm also encouraged European business associations to strengthen their role as bridges between companies and policymakers, European standards and Vietnamese production capabilities, and promising cooperation ideas and projects ready for implementation.

Party General Secretary  and President Tô Lâm, Belgian First Vice-President of the Senate Andries Gryffroy, and European Commission Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu, responsible for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, witnessed the exchange of cooperation between Vietnamese and European businesses during the roundtable on October 22. — VNA/VNS Photo

​European businesses see opportunities

Belgian First Vice-President of the Senate Andries Gryffroy said Việt Nam, Belgium and Europe had established effective economic cooperation, adding that the roundtable offered an opportunity to deepen ties and support growth.

The EVFTA had opened up new opportunities and would help build an increasingly close and durable partnership, he said, describing Việt Nam as a reliable partner for Belgium and Europe.

He highlighted Việt Nam's economic resilience, openness and commitment to international engagement, as well as its growing capabilities in technology, digital transformation and green transition.

Combining Việt Nam's strengths with Belgium's and Europe's economic and technological expertise could generate significant momentum, particularly in seaports and logistics, creating new opportunities for businesses on both sides, he said.

European Commission Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu, responsible for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, said Việt Nam's economic dynamism and development ambitions complemented the EU's research and technological capabilities.

This created opportunities for cooperation in clean energy, semiconductors, AI, healthcare, manufacturing modernisation and the expansion of local supply chains, while generating quality jobs in both economies, she said.

The EU remained committed to long-term cooperation with Việt Nam through investment, innovation and quality employment, she added.

Business leaders from Europe and Belgium outlined potential cooperation in infrastructure, logistics, high technology, digital transformation, the green economy, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, high-tech agriculture and food processing.

Their contributions reflected growing interest in and confidence in Việt Nam's development prospects, as well as expectations for expanded business opportunities in the country's next stage of development.

Top leader Tô Lâm witnessed the exchange of an arrangement between Việt Nam's Ministry of Education and Training and the EU. — VNA/VNS Photo

Cooperation agreements 

The roundtable also witnessed the exchange of six cooperation agreements covering education, green industrial development, energy efficiency, aviation, social welfare and tourism.

The agreements included an arrangement between Việt Nam's Ministry of Education and Training and the EU on education and training; an agreement involving Hà Nội's People's Committee, the Aquitara Foundation and 512 Finance to study and propose investment in an eco-industrial and high-tech park at Hạ Bằng Industrial Park in Hà Nội; and a partnership between Việt Nam National Chemical Group and Air Liquide to improve energy efficiency, industrial safety and energy transition.

Other agreements involved Vietnam Airlines and APG Inc on sustainable market development and brand promotion; the European Chamber of Commerce in Việt Nam (EuroCham) and the Aquitara Foundation on implementing the An Vui Mart programme under the EuroCham Give Back to Vietnam initiative; and Vietravel and international tourism group HiSEAS on strategic cooperation and product development.

The top leader expressed confidence that the new strategic vision for Việt Nam–EU and Việt Nam-Belgium relations, combined with European business capabilities and Việt Nam's development ambitions, could usher in a new phase of cooperation that was more closely connected, modern, sustainable, balanced and beneficial to people on both sides. — VNS