EuroCham launches Whitebook 2012 of Trade - Investment Issues & Recommendations

HANOI, December 1st, 2011 - The European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) officially launches today the fourth edition of its “White Book of Trade / Investment Issues & Recommendations”. Like the prior editions, the Whitebook 2012 aims to summarize for the Vietnamese Government the key issues affecting the business climate for European businesses in Vietnam. The Whitebook 2011 covers the major industries that EuroCham’s more than 750 member companies operate in, like e. g. pharmaceuticals, fast-moving consumer goods, energy, telecom, automotive, tourism and banking. The Whitebook 2012 contains additionally one position paper on medical devices, supplementing the important pharmaceuticals sector. On the occasion of the Whitebook 2012 launch, EuroCham hosted a roundtable dialogue with key government representatives from Vietnamese ministries and agencies in Hanoi yesterday, jointly organized with the Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) under the umbrella of the Vietnam-EU Business Forum (VEUBF). The presence of the Delegation of the European Commission, that strongly supports EuroCham’s Whitebook efforts, rounded the press launch of the Whitebook 2012.

This year’s progress report shows fewer improvements for 2011, which was partly due to the long election period and macroeconomic turbulences, but also due to new regulatory burdens and restrictions to trade. EuroCham believes this it is due to a combination of slow progress on many of the issues that were addressed in last year’s Whitebook coupled with some new issues that are eroding confidence in the business environment in Vietnam.  Whilst European companies have been patient and remain hopeful that the business environment in Vietnam will improve, their confidence has been steadily declining since the beginning of 2011, as is evidenced by the quarterly EuroCham Business Climate Index (BCI) survey for Vietnam. In particular, high rates of inflation coupled with difficult access to credit, lack of adequate infrastructure and administrative burdens continue. At the same time, a number of new “market access” issues, which significantly interfere with the importation of goods into Vietnam, have further harmed European perceptions of the business environment in Vietnam.

Download the official press release

Copies of the Whitebook will be mailed to all EuroCham members.
In the meantime, please click here to read the executive summary.

For enquiries please contact:

Ms. Mai Thi Thanh Huong
External Relations Manager
Tel: 84-4-3715 2228
Mobile: (84) 97979 1818
Email: ext.relations@eurochamvn.org