Deputy Prime Minister Phạm Gia Túc (standing) speaks at the National Assembly group discussion about the draft amendments to the Law on International Agreements in Hà Nội on Tuesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

HÀ NỘI — National Assembly delegations from Hải Phòng City and Hà Tĩnh and Lạng Sơn provinces on Tuesday discussed the draft amendments to the Law on International Agreements, during which Deputy Prime Minister Phạm Gia Túc stressed the importance of implementing such agreements and turning them into real growth opportunities.

The discussion took place in Hà Nội as part of the 16th National Assembly (NA)'s ongoing second session.

Speaking at the discussion, Deputy PM Túc, who is also a NA deputy representing the central province of Hà Tĩnh, said the revisions are guided by the principles of promoting decentralisation, the delegation of authority and procedure simplification, which aims to create favourable conditions for agencies within the political system to carry out international cooperation activities.

Túc emphasised that while Party and State leaders had successfully facilitated the signing of several international cooperation agreements and commitments during recent overseas visits, the challenge lies in the implementation and ensuring that ministries, sectors, localities and the business community can capitalise on the opportunities and benefits they offer.

“Signing the agreements is important, but executing them is more critical,” Túc said.

A case in point is that even though Việt Nam has signed 18 free trade agreements which present significant opportunities for market expansion and trade cooperation, some sectors and businesses have yet to leverage the opportunities and incentives they provide, particularly tariff preferences, according to Túc.

NA Vice President Nguyễn Khắc Định commended the draft law for removing provisions on the procedures for concluding international agreements on behalf of ministries or ministerial-level agencies, opting instead to establish only general principles and delegate the detailed regulations to the Government.

However, regarding the criteria for distinguishing international agreements from civil contracts and international treaties, Định said the criteria are not clear as the current draft relies solely on the criterion that an agreement 'does not give rise to rights or obligations under international law'.

"This is insufficient to differentiate international agreements from commercial civil contracts entered into by State agencies, which might create confusion in practice," he said.

NA deputy Nguyễn Ngọc Sơn from Hải Phòng acknowledged that the Government has incorporated most of the recommendations from the NA Standing Committee and the reviewing body regarding the delegation of authority in signing international agreements, but suggested further refining the provisions concerning signing authority, oversight mechanisms and implementation procedures.

He also noted that while the draft has defined the supervisory authority of the NA and its bodies, certain points require clarification.

These include clause 2 of Article 5, which stipulates that the NA's Council for Ethnic Affairs and its committees shall coordinate with the corresponding bodies of the foreign signatory to 'conduct oversight'.

"Oversight is a constitutional prerogative of the state power bodies of Việt Nam, so it should not be framed as a joint activity conducted alongside foreign entities," Sơn argued, and proposed replacing this with a mechanism for information exchange and coordination in monitoring the agreements' implementation.

Furthermore, while supporting restricting the scope of agreements that border communes and wards can enter into, Sơn disagrees with delegating the power to determine which other communes or wards may enter into such agreements, or the specific subject areas the agreements may cover, to the Government in sub-legislative instruments.

He suggested that the law establishes a framework of criteria for identifying the entities to be granted such authority instead.

The NA deputy also recommended that the law includes a mandatory requirement to consult with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant agencies as part of the formal procedure for entering into agreements.

He also proposed expanding the requirements for the submission of copies of signed agreements to cover other ministries, local authorities and commune-level entities, to ensure the Ministry of Foreign Affairs remains fully informed. — VNS