‘Human rights’ may hold back EU-Vietnam FTA

Vietnam: The European Union (EU) and Vietnam had signed the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in December of 2015. However, the European Parliament and the legislatures of all EU members have still not approved the agreement for it to take effect.

The EU-Vietnam Partnership is based on the respect of human rights and democratic principles, yet the FTA is being fast-tracked with hardly any attention on human rights.

The Government in Vietnam faces pressure from European lawmakers to improve its human rights record, especially with regard to the conditions existing in garment factories. The dismal working conditions and low pay has been the cause of labour agony in many industries – prominent being footwear and textile industry.