On July 1, 2022, the Vietnam Pepper Association (VPA) organized the program “Consultation on Rules of Origin for Pepper and Spices for Export under the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EU-EU Free Trade Agreement). EVFTA) within the framework of the project “Promoting sustainable pepper production and trade in Vietnam” funded by the European Union (EU), under the coordination of the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), in collaboration with the European Spices Association (ESA) and the VPA.
Attending the workshop were Ms. Hoang Thi Lien – President of the Association, Ms. Trinh Thi Thu Hien – Head of Origin of Goods – Import-Export Department – Ministry of Industry and Trade, Mr. Luong Phuoc Vinh – Southeast Asia Regional Director Tentamus Group GbmH (Germany) and many member businesses of the Vietnam Pepper Association
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, the VPA President said that Vietnam’s pepper currently accounts for 45% of the total import of EU pepper, in the opposite direction, Europe accounts for 23.7% of the total export volume of Vietnam. The EVFTA Agreement has opened up many export opportunities for Vietnamese goods, including Pepper and Spices when 100% of the Spices tariff lines in Chapter 9 will enjoy a tax rate of 0% as soon as the Agreement comes into effect. force, creating a competitive advantage over competitors such as Brazil and Indonesia. However, besides the opportunities it brings, the EVFTA also poses many challenges for Vietnam’s exports because non-tariff measures are increasingly strictly controlled, while many businesses are still There is no good preparation to apply EVFTA, especially regulations on origin of goods.
The workshop focused on two challenging issues for exporters when applying EVFTA on origin of goods and SPS. Accordingly, experts have detailed instructions on the rules of origin and instructions on how to look up the maximum allowable residue levels (MRLs) prescribed by Europe through the Vietnamese version search system and will updated continuously as soon as Europe has changes or new regulations. It is expected that this system will be deployed by the Association free of charge to businesses that are members of the Association in the near future. In addition, information about the universal preferential tariff regime (GPS) under the REX mechanism – will expire from December 31, 2022. After this date, it is mandatory for all Vietnamese enterprises when exporting goods to the EU market to apply the EVFTA Rules of Origin if they want to determine the origin of export shipments.
At the end of the workshop, the President of the Association thanked the support of the European Union, the coordination of the IDH Organization, the cooperation of ESA within the framework of the project’s activities for the sustainable development of Vietnam. Vietnam Pepper Industry. At the same time, she thanked experts and businesses for their active contributions to the success of the program.
VPA
