The statement by Violetta Borsi, specialist of the Institute of Studies on Vietnam in Italy was recently quoted by Italy’s Mekong Online news. The article described the EVFTA as a model for future commercial collaboration agreements between the EU and other developing countries. It said the ratification expresses European parliamentarians’ support for free and fair trade amid escalating trade tensions and protectionism.

Meanwhile, International Business Times said the EVFTA is likely to accelerate trade between Vietnam and Poland. The newspaper quoted Piotr Harasimowicz, Chief Representative Officer of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency in Ho Chi Minh City, as saying that Vietnam is one of the most promising markets for Polish companies in Southeast Asia.

He said the key sectors of cooperation are agri-food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, green technologies, and wastewater treatment, adding that  bilateral trade between the two countries surpassed 3 billion USD in 2019.

He said Poland boasts a large Vietnamese community that forms a link between the two countries, even though they are nearly 9,000 km apart.