Exchanging Experiences on Parliamentary Work
Vietnamese Delegation Visit on Parliamentary Work in Europe

Discussions between Deputies and Technical Departments of the ONA with counterparts of the European Parliament in Brussels

Group photo in front of the European Parliament

HSF

On the first day of the delegation visit, the Deputies and Officials of the ONA led by Mr Nguyen Thi Thuy Ngan – Vice Chairwoman of the ONA – had the opportunity to discuss with Mr Wolfgang Hiller, the Director of the Directorate for Impact Assessment and Foresight, Directorate-General for Parliamentary Research Services (EPRS), Secretariat-General of the European Parliament, and other Members of European Parliament (MEP). The discussions covered a wide range of topics, including the structure and tasks of the Parliamentary Research Service in the European Parliamentary, women and gender equality in the parliamentary and beyond, as well as the cooperation between the EU and Southeast Asia, with a special focus on Vietnam.

Furthermore, the Vietnamese delegation also had talks with the European External Action Service - EEAS (EEAS) and the European Commission's Directorate-General for EU International Partnerships (INTPA). With Mr Ian Hoskins of the South- and Southeast Asia Unit at INTPA discussions focused on current and upcoming initiatives by the EU in Vietnam as well as on a general overview of the EU's Global Gateway Strategy. At the European External Action Service - EEAS, the delegation met with Mr Mark Gallagher - Deputy Head of Division, South-East Asia of EEAS to discuss current geopolitical challenges and opportunities to deepen the partnership between Vietnam and the EU.

Also during the visit in Brussels, HSF Vietnam and HSS Europe facilitated discussions between the Vietnamese National Assembly delegation and various EU stakeholders. A deep dive was taken into the legislation processes at EU level with Silke Dalton, the Head of the Working Group on Economy and Environment of the EPP Group in the European Parliament. The discussions continued with Federico Reho of the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies - the official think tank of the European People's Party. The communication and voter outreach of the European Parliament was discussed with Albrecht John of the Directorate-General for Communication while talks with the European Institute for Asian Studies EIAS focused on strategic collaboration priorities between the EU and Vietnam.

Group photo with Mr Markus Ferber at the European Parliament

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Meeting with Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung’s Chairman

During the visit, the delegation also met with Member of European Parliament and Chairman of HSF  Mr Markus Ferber. In the discussions, both sides expressed their desire to deepen the partnership between HSF and the Vietnamese National Assembly that has been established in 2017. The implementation of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) as well as legislative answers to increasingly complex challenges were also elaborated. Mr Ferber stressed the importance of parliamentarism for foundation's global work and outlined best practices from the European Parliament in the context of current legislative processes.

Discussion with the Belgian-Vietnamese Parliamentary Friendship Group

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Visit to the Belgien Federal Parliament and the Belgian Senate

On the third day of the delegation visit, the Vietnamese delegation, HSF Vietnam and HSS Europe paid a visit to the Belgian Federal Parliament as well as the Belgian Senate. This included discussions with Members of both parliamentary chambers and the Belgian-Vietnamese Parliamentary Friendship Group. The President of the Committee on External Relations Ms Karin Brouwers also welcomed the delegation and provided insights into the legislative processes in Belgium.

Discussion with the Court of Justice of the European Union and European Institute of Public Administration in Luxembourg

After a week in Brussels, the delegation visited the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg, where the delegation was provided with an overview over the mission and structure of the Court, recent case law as well as its crucial role as the independent judicial authority in the EU. In addition, the delegation also visited the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) who has extensive experience in regulatory approaches in various policy fields and presented some crucial recent EU regulation that will also have a huge impact on non-EU countries like Vietnam. In the discussions, the parties focused on potential collaboration opportunities between HSF Vietnam, the Vietnamese National Assembly, and EIPA, particularly with regards to the compliance with recent environmental policies.