Introduction of EU Green Deal: Some other policies and regulations
21/12/2023 4In addition to the European Green Deal’s implementing legislative regulations that affect considerably and directly one or many Vietnam’s key exported product groups as mentioned above, rules scattering in many other Programs, Strategies, Action Plans within this Agreement framework also have more minimum and indispensable impacts on some Vietnam’s industries, export sectors, for example:
- Chemicals strategy for sustainability
This Strategy was adopted by the EU on 14th Oct 2020 and for implementation, some documents with the EU’s new/upgraded chemical-related legislative regulations were/will be revised, supplemented, featuring:
- Revising EU Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH)
- Revising EU Regulation on the Classification, Labelling and Packaging of hazardous substances – CLP (for example: food packaging; kitchen equipment, food processing).
- Sustainable Product Initiative, in which (i) Revise EU Sustainable Directive; (ii) Supplement new legislative measures relating to types of hazardous chemicals present in electronics and information technology products, textile, interior furniture, steel and chemicals.
Since most rules mentioned above are technical standards, regulations of chemicals applicable to related goods, amendment, supplement of these rules subject to European Green Deal’s objectives are affecting/will affect directly related goods imported to the EU.
- Revised measures relating to treatment of waste from consuming products
EU waste policies are designed to aim at protecting the environment and human health, contributing to circular economy. Within European Green Deal implementation framework for this sector, there have been some new/revised regulations on waste management, including:
- EU rules on batteries and accumulators
- EU rules on waste containing persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
- EU rules restricting the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment
- EU rules on treating waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)
Revision, supplement of documents as mentioned above shall impact related quality standards, regulations of products mentioned at the EU market, and thus also impact imports of these products from the outside to the EU market.
Besides, as emphasized, European Green Deal shall continue to be implemented with many other steps from now until 2050. Therefore, cases listed above are just measures identified so far. In the future, especially from now to 2030 (the period that the EU must speed up its actions to implement intermediary objectives set by the EU for 2030), the EU’s list of green policies, regulations, measures which likely affect directly Vietnam’s exports will be definitely longer and cover more complicated contents in more aspects and areas. As such, Vietnamese export and import businesses need to monitor the whole process to update general trends as well as specific related regulations.
Source: Report "EU Green Deal and Vietnam's Exports - The case of the agricultural, food and textile industries" – Center for WTO and International Trade