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EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement - A study of EVFTA’s impact on authoritative control in Vietnam’s business environment

Köhler, Ida LU (2020) JURM02 20201
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract
Vietnam’s and the EU’s history of regulated trade relations emanates from 1996 when the first bilateral agreement covering trade entered into force between the parties. The bilateral trade relationship has developed ever since. Ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement is expected in mid-2020, a comprehensive free trade agreement between a developing country and an international organisation. Vietnam is a developing country in which the Communist Party controls the functioning of the state at all levels of society.

The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement is referred to as the most ambitious free trade agreement that the EU has ever concluded with a developing country. National companies, as well as EU-companies in Vietnam, will be... (More)
Vietnam’s and the EU’s history of regulated trade relations emanates from 1996 when the first bilateral agreement covering trade entered into force between the parties. The bilateral trade relationship has developed ever since. Ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement is expected in mid-2020, a comprehensive free trade agreement between a developing country and an international organisation. Vietnam is a developing country in which the Communist Party controls the functioning of the state at all levels of society.

The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement is referred to as the most ambitious free trade agreement that the EU has ever concluded with a developing country. National companies, as well as EU-companies in Vietnam, will be affected when the agreement enters into force. This leads to questions on how the agreement will impact Vietnamese authoritative state control of companies in Vietnam.

The European Commission has set out the elements of transparency, civil society engagement, open markets and improvement of legal frameworks as essential elements within trade in their policy from 2015. These elements are pervasive in the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and permeate many of the agreement’s conditions. In this thesis, the agreement’s conditions will be examined to determine what conditions and how the four elements can be used to influence state control of companies in Vietnam. Further, the conditions’ effect on EU- and national companies in Vietnam will be scrutinised. It will be argued that the four elements can be used to address structural problems in Vietnam as well as challenge the separated roles of the Vietnamese state and companies. Even though the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement can be perceived as too ambitious and unadjusted for companies in Vietnam, the conditions can foster development and be a driving force for positive changes in the long term. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Vietnams och EU:s historia av reglerade handelsförbindelser härrör från 1996 då det första bilaterala handelsavtalet mellan parterna trädde i kraft. Sedan dess har det bilaterala handelsförhållandet utvecklats. Ett nytt frihandelsavtal mellan EU och Vietnam förväntas ratificeras i mitten av 2020.
Frihandelsavtalet är omfattande och ingås mellan ett utvecklingsland och en
internationell organisation. Vietnam är ett utvecklingsland där
kommunistpartiet kontrollerar hela statsapparaten på alla samhällsnivåer.
Frihandelsavtalet mellan EU och Vietnam benämns som det mest ambitiösa
frihandelsavtal EU någonsin har ingått med ett utvecklingsland. Nationella
företag och EU-företag i Vietnam kommer att påverkas när avtalet träder i
kraft,... (More)
Vietnams och EU:s historia av reglerade handelsförbindelser härrör från 1996 då det första bilaterala handelsavtalet mellan parterna trädde i kraft. Sedan dess har det bilaterala handelsförhållandet utvecklats. Ett nytt frihandelsavtal mellan EU och Vietnam förväntas ratificeras i mitten av 2020.
Frihandelsavtalet är omfattande och ingås mellan ett utvecklingsland och en
internationell organisation. Vietnam är ett utvecklingsland där
kommunistpartiet kontrollerar hela statsapparaten på alla samhällsnivåer.
Frihandelsavtalet mellan EU och Vietnam benämns som det mest ambitiösa
frihandelsavtal EU någonsin har ingått med ett utvecklingsland. Nationella
företag och EU-företag i Vietnam kommer att påverkas när avtalet träder i
kraft, vilket leder till frågor om hur avtalet kommer att påverka det
vietnamesiska utövandet av statlig kontroll över företag i Vietnam.
Insyn, engagerat civilsamhälle, öppna marknader och förbättring av rättsliga
ramar benämns av Europeiska Kommissionen som viktiga handelselement i
deras handelspolicy från 2015. De fyra elementen genomsyrar många av
frihandelsavtalets villkor. I denna avhandling kommer avtalets villkor
undersökas för att utreda i vilka villkor de fyra elementen kan användas för
att påverka statskontrollen över företag i Vietnam. Därutöver kommer
villkorens effekter på EU- och nationella företag i Vietnam granskas. De fyra
elementen kan användas för att ta itu med strukturella problem i Vietnam och utmana de separerade rollerna mellan den vietnamesiska staten och företagen. Även om frihandelsavtalet mellan EU och Vietnam kan uppfattas som för ambitiöst och dåligt anpassat för företag i Vietnam, kan villkoren främja utveckling och vara en drivkraft för positiva förändringar på lång sikt. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Köhler, Ida LU
supervisor
organization
course
JURM02 20201
year
type
H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
subject
keywords
Public international law, international trade law, Vietnam, EU, EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement
language
English
id
9010737
date added to LUP
2020-06-18 10:11:08
date last changed
2020-06-18 10:11:08
@misc{9010737,
  abstract     = {{Vietnam’s and the EU’s history of regulated trade relations emanates from 1996 when the first bilateral agreement covering trade entered into force between the parties. The bilateral trade relationship has developed ever since. Ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement is expected in mid-2020, a comprehensive free trade agreement between a developing country and an international organisation. Vietnam is a developing country in which the Communist Party controls the functioning of the state at all levels of society.

The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement is referred to as the most ambitious free trade agreement that the EU has ever concluded with a developing country. National companies, as well as EU-companies in Vietnam, will be affected when the agreement enters into force. This leads to questions on how the agreement will impact Vietnamese authoritative state control of companies in Vietnam. 

The European Commission has set out the elements of transparency, civil society engagement, open markets and improvement of legal frameworks as essential elements within trade in their policy from 2015. These elements are pervasive in the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and permeate many of the agreement’s conditions. In this thesis, the agreement’s conditions will be examined to determine what conditions and how the four elements can be used to influence state control of companies in Vietnam. Further, the conditions’ effect on EU- and national companies in Vietnam will be scrutinised. It will be argued that the four elements can be used to address structural problems in Vietnam as well as challenge the separated roles of the Vietnamese state and companies. Even though the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement can be perceived as too ambitious and unadjusted for companies in Vietnam, the conditions can foster development and be a driving force for positive changes in the long term.}},
  author       = {{Köhler, Ida}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement - A study of EVFTA’s impact on authoritative control in Vietnam’s business environment}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}