BRUSSELS/HANOI: European lawmakers are set to approve free trade and investment deals between the EU and Vietnam that will eliminate almost all tariffs over the next ten years, despite concerns about the human rights situation in the country. After an influential Parliament trade committee recommended last month that the agreements should be adopted, lawmakers will cast their votes Wednesday in Strasbourg, France, during a plenary session. The EU hopes the deal will result in 15 billion euros (US$16.5bil) a year in additional exports from Vietnam to the continent by 2035, with EU exports to Vietnam expanding by more than eight billion per year. "We are very concerned about political prisoners and have stressed to the Vietnamese authorities the importance of human rights," Bourgeois said. Once adopted by lawmakers, the deals need to be approved by the EU council and ratified by all 27 member states.

Source: The Star February 12, 2020 10:18 UTC