Chemicals is a fundamental industry, playing an important role in the economy.

Chemicals is a fundamental industry, present in all areas of economic and social life and plays an important role in the economy.

On the morning of October 28, in Hanoi, the Department of Chemicals ( Ministry of Industry and Trade ) held a workshop on "New points of the draft Law on Chemicals (amended) and the Strategy for the development of Vietnam's chemical industry".

Mr. Pham Huy Nam Son - Deputy Director of the Department of Chemicals - Ministry of Industry and Trade. Photo: NH

Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Pham Huy Nam Son - Deputy Director of the Department of Chemicals - Ministry of Industry and Trade said: The Law on Chemicals was passed by the National Assembly on November 21, 2007, effective from July 1, 2008.

According to experts, the Chemical Law has institutionalized and concretized the Party and State's policies and guidelines in a timely manner. The promulgation of the Chemical Law is an important milestone in the process of building and establishing an official and unified legal framework for chemical activities nationwide.

However, according to Mr. Pham Huy Nam Son, compared to the time of promulgation of the Chemical Law, the current legal system has undergone many changes, many new laws have been promulgated or amended and supplemented. In addition, since 2008, Vietnam has signed and joined many new generation Free Trade Agreements, and joined a number of new international Conventions and Treaties on chemical management. Along with the long implementation process, some provisions in the Chemical Law have revealed inadequacies and difficulties, are no longer suitable to the actual situation, and need to be amended and supplemented.

“Therefore, amending the Law on Chemicals is necessary to institutionalize the Party's guidelines and policies in the chemical field; ensure the consistency and unity of the legal system; overcome some difficulties and shortcomings of the current Law; be consistent with the current domestic and international context and international commitments that Vietnam participates in,” said the Deputy Director of the Department of Chemicals.

The workshop attracted the attention of many delegates and businesses attending. Photo: NH

In particular, according to the Deputy Director of the Department of Chemicals, due to the need to amend the Law on Chemicals, the Government has approved the proposal to develop the Law on Chemicals (amended) and proposed that the National Assembly Standing Committee consider and supplement the draft Law on Chemicals (amended) into the Law and Ordinance Development Program in 2024 with 4 policy groups. The Ministry of Industry and Trade is assigned to preside over the drafting of the Law on Chemicals (amended), submit it to the Government in June 2024 and submit it to the National Assembly Standing Committee in August 2024.

After the process of developing the Law, the draft Law on Chemicals (amended) has been examined by the National Assembly Standing Committee at the 10th Plenary Session in October 2024. At the above session, the draft Law on Chemicals (amended) basically meets all the conditions to be submitted to the National Assembly for discussion at the 8th Session. However, to ensure the quality of the draft Law, the drafting agency needs to continue to carefully review the provisions and contents for completion.

Also talking about the necessity of amending the Chemical Law, Ms. Nguyen Thi Theu, Chemical Industry Development Department (Department of Chemicals - Ministry of Industry and Trade) said: The chemical industry plays an important role and is present in all aspects of economic and social life, is a fundamental industry, accounting for 2-5% of the GDP of the entire industry with a growth rate of 10-11% per year. In particular, there is a lot of potential for development, but currently the Vietnamese chemical industry is still developing below its potential. Therefore, amending the Chemical Law is necessary.

According to Mr. Pham Huy Nam Son, in parallel with the development of the Law on Chemicals (amended), to promote the development of the chemical industry in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly direction, in Resolution No. 124/NQ-CP dated September 3, 2020 promulgating the Government's Action Program to implement Resolution No. 23-NQ/TW dated March 22, 2018 of the Politburo on the orientation for building a national industrial development policy to 2030, with a vision to 2045, the Government assigned the Ministry of Industry and Trade to preside over the development of the Strategy for the development of Vietnam's chemical industry to 2030, with a vision to 2040. The Strategy was approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 726/QD-TTg dated June 16, 2022.

The Strategy's orientation focuses on four issues, including:

Firstly , develop the chemical industry towards a modern, fundamental industry with 10 sub-sectors, focusing on developing a number of key sub-sectors: Basic chemicals, petrochemicals, technical rubber, pharmaceuticals and fertilizers.

Second , maintain and develop factories with advanced technology. Gradually eliminate small-scale production facilities that use outdated technology, have low resource efficiency, poor product quality, and cause environmental pollution.

Third, establish industrial parks, clusters, chemical complexes, and chemical logistics centers in locations with large enough land funds, far from residential areas, near deep-water ports, and convenient traffic connections. Encourage circular technologies, and use unused products and waste from one factory as raw materials for other factories.

Fourth , gradually relocate chemical facilities that do not ensure safety, environment, and fire prevention in residential areas to industrial parks and industrial clusters for centralized management.

Speaking at the workshop, many delegates also highly appreciated the new points of the Law on Chemicals (amended), expecting that these new points, in addition to overcoming existing problems in the chemical sector, will also open up opportunities for the chemical industry to develop, contributing more positively to Vietnam's economic growth.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/hoa-chat-la-nganh-cong-nghiep-nen-tang-dong-vai-tro-quan-trong-voi-nen-kinh-te-355174.html