Compliance with TBT and SPS requirements of the WTO and those of the EU and other major markets of is a precondition for Vietnamese exporters to be successful.  Raising awareness of the sophisticated requirements of the EU in the field of TBT and SPS rules needs systematic engagement on the side of Viet Nam’s TBT and SPS Offices, other central and local authorities, and industry. Experts of Activity WTO-7 under the EU-Vietnam MUTRAP III had a survey on the EU’s TBT and SPS rules which concern exports of interest to Viet Nam, identification of the difficulties faced by Vietnamese exporters in complying with these requirements, analysis of the impacts of these measures on Viet Nam’s affected export sectors, examination of the contacts between the SPS and TBT Offices and exporters, and appropriate recommendations.

According to the final technical report on TBT issues, Vietnamese exporters must comply with EU TBT requirements allowable under WTO rules for access to EU markets.  Exporters should therefore be are fully cognizant with EU TBT requirements for their products if they intend to export to the EU. Therefore, the report focuses on identifying ways in which the capacity of Viet Nam TBT Office can be strengthened and its resources utilized to support Vietnamese exporters develop necessary the competences to meet EU TBT requirements and at the same time make recommendations to strengthen the capability of the industry associations support their members manage the process of meeting changing EU TBT requirements in the future.

As indicated in the final technical report on SPS field, technical problems that are experienced by Vietnamese enterprises in exporting agricultural products to the EU are not usually attributable to excessively strict SPS barriers to trade, or to a lack of information about what the technical requirements are for products to enter the EU market. Rather the problem appears to lie in conducting the production and processing activities in the proper way in Viet Nam. After examining the situation concerning SPS barriers to Vietnam’s exports into the European Union, the report lists twelve possible actions by government, in cooperation with the private sector, to enhance export success.

Both reports were completed in 2009 by a group of international experts in coordination with local experts from Viet Nam SPS and TBT Offices, Viet Nam Food Administrator (Ministry of Health) and Fisheries Technology Services Center of Viet Nam (Viet Nam Fisheries Society – VINAFIS).

SPS - Filnal report (full text)

TBT - Final report (full text)