Ministry of Industry and Trade seeks comments on FTA Index survey content

On the afternoon of September 30, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Multilateral Trade Policy Department held a meeting of the FTA Index expert group on building a survey questionnaire for businesses in localities to build the FTA Index.

Meeting scene - Photo: Quoc Chuyen

Expecting the FTA Index to be "like a PCI of integration"

Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Ngo Chung Khanh - Deputy Director of the Multilateral Trade Policy Department assessed that participating in FTAs ​​has brought positive results to Vietnam, contributing to promoting growth and diversifying import and export markets.

The implementation of commitments in FTAs, especially new-generation FTAs ​​with high standards, has also gradually created domestic innovation motivations to enhance competitiveness, promote economic development, and improve people's lives.

In recent times, although the awareness of international economic integration in general and FTA implementation in particular of some agencies and localities has been improved, the work of forecasting, attention and proper assessment of the scope of impact of integration and FTA implementation is still limited, not systematic and timely. Many localities have not really taken the initiative in building orientations and strategies to take advantage of FTAs ​​for local businesses.

Mr. Ngo Chung Khanh said that if all 63 provinces and cities pay attention to implementing FTAs, and are concerned and concerned about how to help businesses take advantage of FTAs ​​more, the results will certainly be better and more effective, similar to the results we have achieved since the PCI index was established.

Mr. Ngo Chung Khanh - Deputy Director of Multilateral Trade Policy Department - speaking at the meeting - Photo: Quoc Chuyen

According to the leader of the Multilateral Trade Policy Department, the goal of building the FTA Index is to reflect the effectiveness of FTAs ​​for localities, providing additional reliable information for investors to orient and make investment decisions; at the same time, helping to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of state management and the role of central agencies. In particular, the Ministry of Industry and Trade hopes that the FTA Index will help provinces and cities change their thinking and change their working methods in creating more favorable conditions for businesses to take advantage of FTAs.

"We hope that, with the same mindset as PCI, the FTA Index will help provinces pay more attention and focus more on effectively utilizing FTAs, and those are the major orientations that the Ministry of Industry and Trade has reported to the Government," Mr. Ngo Chung Khanh shared, and at the same time asked experts to give their opinions to ensure that the implementation of the FTA Index survey in the coming time will be effective, comprehensive, consistent and on schedule.

Survey of more than 4,000 businesses

At the meeting, Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Ngoc Tien - Vice President of Foreign Trade University - presented the draft questionnaire for businesses in localities, the survey method and the calculation method of the FTA Index 2024 developed by Foreign Trade University.

It is expected that the survey subjects will include 4,000 enterprises in 63 provinces and cities that export or import goods, in a number of economic sectors directly related to taking advantage of FTAs.

The survey content includes: Access to information about FTAs; implementation of legal regulations, assessment of difficulties in the process of complying with laws to implement FTAs; implementation of programs to support businesses in taking advantage of opportunities from FTAs; implementation of commitments on sustainable development.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dao Ngoc Tien - Vice President of Foreign Trade University - speaking at the meeting

According to Associate Professor Dao Ngoc Tien, the development of FTA assessment indexes will be carried out through survey activities, collecting primary data from enterprises in both the private and state economic sectors in the locality, collecting secondary data from reliable sources of information at home and abroad, analyzing, building and verifying the calculation model of the Index, evaluating and proposing solutions to promote the implementation of FTAs ​​in each locality through the Index of that locality, applying information technology in collecting and processing data both online and in person.

"The assessment of the effectiveness of FTAs ​​through the Index has advantages and difficulties. However, this is a new model, unprecedented in the world. Therefore, during the implementation process, we have to learn, research and experiment on our own, there is no specific model for reference," Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Ngoc Tien emphasized.

Discussing at the meeting, experts all affirmed the necessity and importance of the FTA Index, which was developed and drafted by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

At the same time, experts also discussed and gave additional opinions on related issues such as: Survey subjects and content; collection methods, information processing procedures, and synthesis of survey results...

According to the plan, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will coordinate with relevant ministries and branches to implement procedures and processes for approving survey plans, questionnaires and methods for calculating the FTA index; build a survey processing software system; information technology infrastructure; inspect and supervise the survey work to collect information in localities; announce survey results and keep all original information collection forms and survey data.

Information collection will be conducted in October - November 2024.

It is expected that by the end of December 2024, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will announce the results of the FTA Index.

The index to assess the annual implementation results of free trade agreements by localities (FTA Index) was approved in Document No. 5678/VPCP-QHQT dated August 31, 2022.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade is assigned to preside over and coordinate with relevant agencies to implement the Project.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/bo-cong-thuong-lay-y-kien-gop-y-noi-dung-khao-sat-fta-index-349269.html