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EURASTiP, bridging the gap between Europe and Southeast Asia Lucía Barreiro The European Union Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) was signed on June 30 in Hanoi, paving the way for its conclusion and increased trade with the EU and Vietnam. The EVFTA is an ambitious pact eliminating almost 99 percent of custom duties between the EU and Vietnam. Thanks to the agreement, 71 percent of duties will be eliminated on Vietnam exports to the EU, including aquaculture products and a 20 percent more is expected in exports in 2020. In the frame of the new EVFTA, a “honey moon” period for aquaculture in Vietnam is expected as Mathieu Penot, EU delegation to Vietnam, stated at the EURASTiP Brokerage event that was held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on August 30. EURASTiP aims at launching a European-Asian aquaculture multi-stakeholder platform which will provide a new mechanism to create and reinforce international cooperation on sustainable aquaculture between Europe and Southeast Asia. The majority (70-75%) of seafood consumed in the EU is imported from this region. The Asian aquaculture industry is rapidly growing and faces
serious challenges in terms of sustainability and suitable technologies. In this context projects like EURASTiP are crucial in supporting the industry. The second EURASTiP brokerage event connected European aquaculture stakeholders with Southeast Asian partners through brokerage sessions and field trips in Vietnam and Thailand.
Vietnam, the Asian miracle Whether through extensive, organic or intensive systems, Vietnam has made massive investments in technology and infrastructure. Ten years ago, the aquaculture industry was composed of small stakeholders but now big companies are the largest world suppliers of species including pangasius. The EU import value of pangasius decreased from €331 million in 2013 to €245 million in 2017, a loss of more than 25% which is mainly attributed to the negative perception of the product among certain buyers and consumers. Companies like Vinh Hoan, the largest pangasius producer and supplier to the world market, has enforced its quality control system and has
Aquafeed: Advances in Processing & Formulation Vol 11 Issue 4 2019