(VOVworld) - Vietnam and the EU finished their fifth round of negotiations on the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade, with sound outcomes.

According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ha Cong Tuan, the talks this week focused on a management system to ensure the legality of Vietnamese timber, especially the legal origin of imported wood. The VPA on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade aims to ensure that all Vietnamese wood products exported to EU countries are of legal origin. Once in effect, the agreement is expected to boost Vietnam’s wood processing and export industry in terms of sustainable growth and market expansion.