Vietnam has suggested Germany back the European Commission (EC)'s removal of its ‘yellow card’ warning against Vietnamese seafood due to the former’s efforts to strictly and fully implement EC recommendations on combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, according to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang.

The suggestion was made at the seventh Vietnam-Germany strategic dialogue held in Berlin on Monday.

The ‘yellow card’ is a kind of warning issued by the EC to countries involved in IUU fishing.

The EC imposed the ‘yellow card’ punishment on Vietnam’s seafood in 2017. It means that all of Vietnam’s seafood batches shipped to the EU are subject to scrutiny, or local exporters have to pay higher costs.

If significant progress is made, the ‘yellow card’ will be lifted and replaced with a ‘green card,’ representing legal export status.

Otherwise, a ‘red card’ will be given, meaning that Vietnam will be banned from exporting its seafood to the European Union (EU).

At the strategic dialogue, Vietnam and Germany also agreed to enhance the exchange of delegations, especially at high levels, and foster the bilateral cooperation in sectors in which they have strengths and demands, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Deputy Minister Hang suggested the German Federal Foreign Office encourage German firms to invest and expand production in Vietnam and accelerate the German Bundestag’s ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement.

Moreover, she sought the German government’s further support in priority cooperation sectors, such as environmental protection, energy, and vocational training in line with Vietnam’s sustainable development targets.

For his part, State Secretary of the German Federal Foreign Office Andreas Michaelis affirmed that the German government supports and encourages its enterprises to diversify their markets and partners, noting that Vietnam is a country with many advantages in market, labor, and investment environment.

Michaelis added that Germany is willing to support Vietnam in accessing capital resources, technology, and human resource training in the framework of the Just Energy Transition Partnership to realize Vietnam’s commitments at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in 2021, including a commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050.

The German official also highly evaluated the potential of the two countries’ cooperation in labor and vocational training.

As the German government is rolling out many policies to attract high-skilled laborers, the two countries can strengthen their collaboration in the field.

Both sides also took the occasion to affirm their further cooperation and mutual support at such cooperation frameworks as ASEAN, the EU, and other international organizations, especially when both Vietnam and Germany are now members of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2023-25 tenure. 

They emphasized the importance of maintaining peace, stability, and security, specifically maritime security in the region and the world as a whole.

At the strategic dialogue, the Vietnamese and German officials also passed the Vietnam-Germany strategic action plan for the 2023-25 period with cooperation activities in politics and security, economy, climate, energy, science and technology, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.

During her working trip to Germany, Deputy Minister Hang also worked with Wolfgang Silbermann, head speechwriter for the German president, and the Vietnamese Embassy in Germany.

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