Over 200 enterprises participate in dialogue: “HCM City Customs Department and the business community partner to implement the EVFTA”

Le Thanh Liem, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee made a speech at the dialogue. Photo: Đ.N

On October 6, Customs News and HCM City Customs Department chaired and coordinated with EuroCham to organise the dialogue: “HCM City Customs Department and the business community partner to implement the European Union – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA)” at Rex hotel in HCM City.

The event included the presence of Le Thanh Liem, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee; Mai Xuan Thanh, Deputy Director General of Vietnam Customs; Nicolas Audier, President of EuroCham in Vietnam; leaders of departments and sectors in HCM City; leader of HCM City Customs Department; business communities and over 200 import-export enterprises.

In his opening speech, Dinh Ngoc Thang, party committee secretary, Director of HCM City Customs Department, said that to facilitate enterprises to take advantage of the incentives brought by the EVFTA, HCM City Customs Department has proactively developed many solutions to support enterprises before and after the agreement took affect. The dialogue is a great opportunity for Customs authorities and business communities to exchange and remove difficulties, as well as ask questions when implementing the EVFTA.

“With a progressive spirit, we always listen and share with business communities, grasping and receiving opinions relating to policies on import – export goods management, tax policies and customs procedures. From that suggesting and handling difficulties and obstacles, continue reducing administrative procedures, reducing costs for enterprises in order to promote production, creating a transparent and equal business environment,” Director Dinh Ngoc Thang said.

Highly appreciating the facilitation of HCM City Customs Department, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee Le Thanh Liem recorded the efforts and support of HCM City Customs Department to business communities. Right after the EVFTA was ratified, HCM City Customs has proactively organized dialogues to disseminate training on the changes when implementing the EVFTA.

Scene of the dialogue. Photo: Đ.N

Speaking about the support of the Customs sector, Deputy Director of Vietnam Customs Mai Xuan Thanh stated that, to realize the EVFTA, the General Department of Vietnam Customs and the Ministry of Finance formulated a draft Decree, Circular, and preferential tariffs to be submitted to the Government and the Ministry of Finance for promulgation. Recently, the Government issued Decree No. 111/2020/ND-CP dated September 18, 2020, on Vietnam's Preferential Export Tariffs and Special Preferential Import Tariffs to apply the EVFTA to export and import declarations registered from 1 August 2020.HCM City has improved service quality, promoting administrative reforms, customs modernization and trade facilitation, contributing to the socio-economic development of HCM City.

Previously, the General Department of Vietnam Customs also issued the EVFTA Implementation Plan to direct its units to implement four key tasks. In particular, promoting information dissemination and communication of commitments related to the customs field to relevant subjects including central management authorities, local law enforcement agencies and the business community.

Deputy Director General of Vietnam Customs Mai Xuan Thanh

According to the Deputy Director General, the Customs sector in general and the HCM City Customs Department in particular have implemented a number of major programs to support the business community such as the Customs - Business partnership program; authority economic operator (AEO) program; Customs - Business dialogues at all levels are held regularly; consulting businesses on laws; continue to improve the cross-border trade transaction index; reform of specialized inspection and take the leading role in the development and implementation of the National Single Window and the ASEAN Single Window.

The Deputy Director General said that with the recommendations of the business community at the dialogue today, the General Department of Vietnam Customs will issue a guidance document or discuss with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the European partners to reach an agreement for the deployment and creating the most favorable conditions for businesses to implement the EVFTA.