Kick-off Workshop for Project No. 90 “Export Control Programme for Dual-Use Goods in South-East Asia (EU P2P)”

On 21 July 2022, in Hanoi, the Chemical Corps – Standing Office of Vietnam’s National Focal Point for countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (Standing Office 81), in coordination with the Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety/Ministry of Science and Technology – Vietnam’s National Focal Point coordinating its activities under the Initiative for the establishment of Centres of Excellence on chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear risk mitigation (CBRN Initiative) – and the European Union (EU) partner, organised a kick-off workshop for Project No. 90 “Export Control Programme for Dual-Use Goods in South-East Asia (EU P2P)”.

Experts and delegates pose for a group photo at the workshop

The purpose of Project No. 90 “Export Control Programme for Dual-Use Goods in South-East Asia” is to establish, consolidate or update effective strategic trade control systems for dual-use goods in the countries of South-East Asia, including Vietnam.

At the workshop, EU P2P experts presented the legal frameworks for the control of dual-use goods of a number of countries in the region, provided updates on the European list of dual-use goods and reviewed the experience gained in improving the legal systems of several South-East Asian countries. The two sides also reviewed their cooperation since 2015 in order to assess what had and had not been achieved, as a basis for proposing and charting the expansion of cooperation in the 2022–2024 period.

Dr Sylvain Paile Calvo, Technical Director of Project P90, delivers the opening remarks at the workshop

Vietnam and the EU established close and long-standing cooperation with the signing of the Vietnam–EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement in 2012. Since then, the two sides have developed broad and deep cooperation in many fields, including CBRN risk mitigation. Through previous projects under the CBRN Initiative, the two sides achieved a number of notable results, although difficulties such as the COVID-19 pandemic slowed overall progress. This kick-off workshop, attended by delegates from relevant ministries and sectors such as the Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety/Ministry of Science and Technology, the Vietnam Chemicals Agency/Ministry of Industry and Trade, the General Department of Vietnam Customs/Ministry of Finance, and officials of the National Focal Point for countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, is expected to mark a new step in the implementation of measures to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Vietnam.

In their opening remarks, representatives of Standing Office 81, the Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety and the Technical Director of Project P90 expressed the expectation that, with the determination of Vietnam’s National Focal Point, the active contribution of ministries and sectors and the support of the EU, Project P90 would soon carry out effective activities, helping to raise awareness and build capacity, and promoting the improvement of Vietnam’s legal framework on countering the proliferation of WMD.

The EU P2P P90 experts and the delegates from ministries and sectors highly appreciated the focal role of Vietnam’s National Focal Point for countering the proliferation of WMD and expressed confidence that, under its overall coordination, ministries and sectors would coordinate and actively cooperate with partners in order to complete the legal framework at an early date and strengthen implementation capacity in the field of countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Nguyen Tung