From 29 May to 1 June 2018, delegations from the EFTA States and Vietnam met in Oslo, Norway, for the 16th round of negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement.

Building on progress from previous rounds and intersessional exchanges, negotiating teams from both sides continued their talks on a broad range of topics. Expert working groups discussed trade in goods, rules of origin, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, trade in services, investment/establishment, and legal and institutional issues. Intellectual property rights and government procurement were discussed at the level of Heads of delegation. Detailed follow-ups were agreed to be undertaken by both sides in view of the next round, planned to take place before the end of the year.

Merchandise trade between the EFTA States and Vietnam reached USD 3 billion in 2017. The EFTA States exported goods valued at USD 1 billion and imported goods worth USD 2 billion. EFTA’s leading exports to Vietnam were seafood, pharmaceutical products and mechanical machinery, while electronics, footwear and apparel were the largest imports.

Source: WTO Center and Integration

• 15th Round of Negotiations - 26 to 29 September 2017 in Hanoi
• 14th Round of Negotiations - 9 to 11 May in Geneva, Switzerland
• 13th Round of Negotiations - 20-23 October 2015 in Hanoi
• 12th Round of Negotiation - 26-29 May 2015 in Oslo