Vietnam, Belgium Advance Environmental and Agricultural Cooperation for Greener Future

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Acting Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang and European Commissioner for Environment, Water and Circular Economy Jessica Raswall. (Photo: VNA)

The meetings took place in an atmosphere of friendship, openness, and substance, demonstrating the shared determination of Vietnam, the European Union (EU), and Belgium to enhance comprehensive cooperation for a greener and more sustainable future.

During the meeting with Commissioner Jessica Raswall, both sides discussed orientations for cooperation in environmental protection, sustainable management and use of natural resources, ecosystem restoration, biodiversity conservation, waste management, development of a circular economy, and carbon market mechanisms.

The European Commission highly appreciated Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang’s visit, noting that it marked the first ministerial-level working session between Vietnam and the EC devoted exclusively to environmental matters - an indication of the growing importance of the Vietnam-EU partnership in global efforts to combat climate change. Commissioner Raswall stressed that the EU considers Vietnam a key partner in Southeast Asia for promoting green growth, emission reduction, and sustainable transition.

Commissioner Raswall also shared that the EU is implementing several global initiatives, including water resource management, air pollution control, circular economy development, and especially the Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR) - a vital policy tool designed to ensure that imported products entering the EU are produced in a sustainable and transparent manner.

Speaking at the meeting, Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang affirmed that Vietnam highly values the EU’s leading role in environmental protection and sustainable development. He emphasized that Vietnam remains steadfast in fulfilling its international climate commitments, including the goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 as announced by the Prime Minister at the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26).

The Acting Minister noted that Vietnam-EU cooperation in the environmental field still has great untapped potential, particularly in circular economy development, water resource management, and carbon market mechanisms. He proposed that both sides soon draft and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on environmental cooperation to establish a long-term and effective cooperation framework.

The EC welcomed this initiative and reaffirmed its readiness to support Vietnam in sharing experiences, transferring green technologies, strengthening environmental management capacity, and promoting green investment. Both sides agreed that enhanced cooperation in environmental protection would not only benefit each country but also contribute positively to global sustainable development goals and climate crisis response efforts.

As part of his visit to Belgium, Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang also met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Economy, Employment and Agriculture David Clarinval. Both sides acknowledged that Vietnam-Belgium agricultural cooperation has achieved encouraging results, particularly in trade, investment, science and technology, and human resource development.

Deputy Prime Minister Clarinval emphasized that Belgium regards Vietnam as an important partner in Asia and proposed that Vietnam review the list of Belgian products and enterprises eligible for export to Vietnam, especially those of animal origin. The Vietnamese side affirmed that the agricultural products of the two countries are complementary rather than competitive, opening diverse opportunities for cooperation in developing green and sustainable agricultural value chains.

Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang proposed that the two sides consider organizing a “Vietnam-Belgium Agricultural Business Connectivity Forum” to enhance exchanges and investment cooperation in high-tech agriculture, circular economy, and green agricultural value chains. Vietnam expressed its wish for Belgium’s continued support in strengthening food safety capacity, scientific and technological research and application, particularly biotechnology. for the development of modern, climate-resilient agriculture.

Both sides agreed to maintain regular dialogue and expand cooperation in potential fields such as green agriculture, innovation, digital transformation, and sustainable agricultural value chain development, thereby deepening the strategic agricultural partnership between Vietnam and Belgium.

In Namur City, Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang held talks with Adrien Dolimont, Minister-President of the Wallonia region, and Annie-Catherine Dalcq, head of the region’s agriculture sector.

The meeting took place in a friendly, open, and practical atmosphere, reflecting the shared determination of both sides to promote cooperation in agriculture, environment, and sustainable development - areas in which both Vietnam and Wallonia have strengths.

In recent years, cooperation between Vietnam and Wallonia has achieved tangible results, with more than 90 technical assistance projects funded by Wallonia for Vietnamese government agencies, research institutes, and universities in the fields of agriculture and environment. These projects have contributed to enhancing research capacity, technology transfer, and management skills, supporting Vietnam’s transition toward green and climate-adaptive agriculture.

The Wallonia side affirmed its readiness to continue supporting Vietnam in areas of mutual interest, particularly climate change adaptation, food safety, agricultural science and technology development, and biotechnology application, aligning with Vietnam’s strategies for agricultural and environmental development in the coming period.

Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang highly appreciated Wallonia’s contributions to bilateral cooperation and expressed Vietnam’s willingness to facilitate Wallonia’s enterprises investing and implementing projects in Vietnam. Both sides agreed to develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in agriculture and environment, focusing on research, training, and biotechnology transfer. The signing of this MoU is expected to open a new, deeper, and more effective phase of cooperation, further strengthening the friendship between Vietnam and Wallonia in particular and the Kingdom of Belgium in general.

The expansion of cooperation in environment, agriculture, and sustainable development not only demonstrates Vietnam’s determination to fulfill its international commitments on climate and green growth but also contributes to advancing Vietnam-EU-Belgium relations to a new stage - deeper, more substantive, and oriented toward a sustainable future for both sides.

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