Vietnam’s Fisheries Exports to the EC Public - Private
Collaboration to Address Non-Tariff Measures
The story of Vietnam’s fisheries exports to EC shows how
a set of coordinated actions lead to the valorisation of
fishery products and, consequently, positively impact on
the export performance in the highly regulated markets.
Vietnam’s success in exporting to the European Community
(EC), was the result of a strategy planned and
implemented at both government and business levels,
partially funded by international aid programs.
Historically Vietnam has embarked on a gradual process
of transformation from a centrally-planned system into a
market-oriented economy with a socialist orientation. It
also shows that Vietnam’s strategy of increasing its
fisheries and agricultural exports initially faced a
number of constraints and deficiencies.
Market access to the EC is granted to selected private
operators and is the result of the fulfilment of a
number of health and supervisory requirements. The
crucial issue in recognizing equivalence is the
evaluation of a set of requirements related to the
exporting country’s organization and capability to
control safety both at the administrative and enterprise
level. Vietnam’s ability to export foodstuffs to
developed markets such as the EC was the result of a two-fold
strategy:
-
The creation of a
legal and regulatory framework, fitting the legal
standards required to access the specific market;
and
-
Private and public
sector involvement in investments in processing,
facilities, machineries and marketing skills, which
are competiveness-drivers on global markets.
Vietnam upgraded its
internal sanitary legislation and food processing in
line with international standards. Compliance with World
Trade Organisation’s agreements and international
standards laying down requirements for agro-based
products were perceived as the main tool for achieving
better market access for Vietnamese commodities.
Furthermore, actions were taken with the aim of
setting-up a network of authorities and laboratories,
which apply internationally-recognized standards in
sampling and inspection tests.
The business community (i.e. farmers, producers,
retailers, exporters and extensive service providers)
must comply with the importing country’s mandatory
product and processing requirements. In achieving this
goal, an effective and well coordinated partnership
between public and private sectors is a must. Vietnam’s
Association of Seafood exporters and Producers exporting
80% of the total seafood exports of Vietnam is
organising educational and training courses to improve
the ability, professional knowledge, skills and
awareness for technicians, managers and personnel who
are in charge of import-export business in the seafood
enterprises. They also provide consultancy services to
support member enterprises to improve productivity,
quality and proficiencies in production and business,
build up raw material resources, expand markets and
improve competitiveness.
Individual companies invested, supported by the cheap
credit made available by the government agencies, in
upgrading their processes, such as raw material handling,
food processing, quality management, traceability
systems, marketing skills etc.
Equivalence and mutual recognition agreements represent
tools of trade facilitation to minimize the trade-distortive
consequences of product testing and certification
procedures that must be undertaken in order to enter
third markets. Vietnam has entered into such agreements
with the EC. Although many requirements in this field of
regulation may be identical to the regulatory framework
in place in the EC, it cannot be said that Vietnam’s
regulation in the field of fisheries as a whole is
identical to EC law. However, equivalence of SPS
measures does not require duplication or sameness of
measures, but merely the acceptance of alternative
measures that meet an importing Member’s appropriate
level of sanitary or phytosanitary protection.
The Vietnam’s case places emphases on the prioritisation
of programs in order to identify those products or
sectors where a set of interrelated actions should be
addressed to facilitate trade.
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