(VOVworld) – The EU-Vietnam free trade agreement is in the negotiation stage and likely to be signed this year, promising many opportunities for Vietnam in tax slashing, commercial advantages, investment attraction, and market expansion. In addition to benefits will come challenges which both the Vietnamese government and businesses should pay more attention to and make necessary changes in regulations, policies, and production activities.

The East African Community has drafted a negotiation framework to guide its trade negotiations with third parties, including the US, the European Union and China, which are some of its main trade partners. The proposed policy is awaiting validation by the five member states.

The Obama administration will host a high-level trade meeting in late July in an effort to conclude a sweeping Pacific trade pact, after winning key legislation in Congress last month to expedite U.S. approval.

Say trade deals could have hidden impacts Experts say the government should carefully consider before signing free-trade agreements (FTA) - as people could be hurt by deals that prolong drug patents and restrict information about medicine. Acting World Health Organisation (WHO) representative to Thailand Richard Brown, in a speech at the International Trade and Health Conference at the Sukosol Hotel yesterday, said people’s rights should not be sacrificed to lower trade barriers.

SEOUL  (VNS) — Viet Nam's Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Bac Son signed a cooperative agreement with South Korea during his recent visit to the country, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong and US Trade Representative Michael Froman expressed a desire to accelerate an early conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations at a July 6 meeting as part of Trong's ongoing trip to the US at the invitation of the US administration. Trong congratulated the US administration on being granted the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) by the US Congress, describing this a very positive signal for the process of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations towards an early conclusion of the trade deal.

Tra fish output in the Mekong Delta increased in the first six months of 2015 but export value of tra fish products experienced a downfall, according to Deputy Chairman and General Secretary of the Vietnam Pangasius Association Vo Hung Dung.  Speaking at a press conference in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on July 7, the deputy chairman said as of June 30, total tra fish output stood at 516,140 tonnes, up 1.22 percent compared to the same period last year.

Pacific Rim countries pursuing a free trade initiative are set to hold ministerial talks on July 28 and 29 in Hawaii to wind up their marathon negotiations, a source said Monday. The United States, Japan and 10 other countries came up with the plan as hopes for an early signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership have been growing since U.S. President Barack Obama signed a bill into law last week that grants him power to put to a vote trade deals with limited interference by lawmakers.

Having recently driven through the ‘fast track’ legislation needed for President Obama to get through the US Pacific Rim free trade deal known as TTP, the US trade representative has vowed to speed up the negotiation between the US and EU to secure the TTIP trade deal before Obama’s term of office ends.

HA NOI  (VNS) — Viet Nam expects to increase fresh fruit exports to the US and Australia next year following the US government's approval of irradiation as an effective quarantine system. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat said on Sunday the ministry would work with the Ministry of Science and Technology (MST) to fund upgrades to an irradiation centre in Ha Noi, aiming to meet the north's demand for exporting agricultural products.