Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Le Minh Hoan chaired the working session on 2 draft laws.

Attending the meeting were members of the Party Central Committee: Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Le Quang Huy; Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung; Minister of Agriculture and Environment Do Duc Duy; Standing member of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment; representatives of a number of agencies, organizations, associations, and Vietnamese businesses.

Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Le Minh Hoan speaks at the meeting

Speaking at the meeting, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Le Minh Hoan stated that the contents of regulations on conformity declaration, conformity, product and goods classification, etc. in the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Technical Standards and Regulations and the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Product and Goods Quality have received a lot of attention and have a great impact on production, business and consumption. Although opinions, views and perspectives are different, the parties involved all show a spirit of openness and exchange.

The Vice Chairman of the National Assembly noted that the drafting agencies and the agencies in charge of reviewing the two draft laws need to review and ensure adherence to the viewpoints on law-making, specify the provisions so that both sides can unify and agree on the common goal and most importantly, ensure the quality, standards and norms of goods and products, meet the requirements of consumers and the peace of mind of society; ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of state management; optimize business costs and social costs, and improve the quality and competitiveness of products and goods.

Working scene

“With this approach, the Law on Technical Standards and Regulations and the Law on Product and Goods Quality are not simply legal tools but above all, a framework to ensure healthy market development, improve quality, improve competitiveness of products and goods, protect the legitimate interests, safety and health of consumers, preserve the environment, and serve the community and society.”

Emphasizing this, the Vice Chairman of the National Assembly also said that the difficulty here is to determine the balance between strict management and "empowerment" according to an open, transparent process based on the self-awareness, awareness of quality commitment, and responsibility of manufacturers and suppliers. It is necessary to determine the harmony between strict management, inspection, and control of each stage with the implementation costs of specialized management agencies and the opportunity costs of enterprises.

Chairman of the Committee on Science, Technology and Environment Le Quang Huy speaks at the meeting

From the perspective of state management, the Vice Chairman of the National Assembly also emphasized that control is a responsibility that cannot be neglected. Once standards are relaxed, personal interests can overwhelm public interests. When standards are not updated, interest groups can manipulate the market, distorting competition. When the law cannot control the quality of goods, human life, public health, resources and the environment will pay the price. "The problem is how to think about control in the new era, the era of artificial intelligence and the constant change in management thinking, instead of management thinking," the Vice Chairman of the National Assembly raised the issue.

In reality, the balance between creating development space and controlling risks is becoming increasingly fragile. If the law is not strong enough to define the boundaries, many businesses will "run fast" by taking shortcuts. But taking shortcuts is too risky, and one day they will have to pay the price with their own trust, reputation with the market, and their own brand. On the contrary, it can cause businesses to incur costs and time, which goes against the Government's policy of reforming administrative procedures. After all, time is also a competitive opportunity for businesses.

Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung speaks at the meeting

Raising the above issue, the Vice Chairman of the National Assembly also stated that the process of amending the two Laws needs to be consistent with the guiding viewpoints and leadership of General Secretary To Lam and Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man, and legal thinking needs to participate in creating development space. Accordingly, management and control of standards and quality of products and goods require new thinking and approaches.

There is a proposal to “conditionally empower” industry associations and professional social organizations - entities with in-depth knowledge, motivation to maintain industry reputation and the ability to participate in providing public services in a transparent and effective manner. This not only helps to allocate inspection resources more intelligently, but also creates conditions for businesses to be transparent, know how to control risks, and be able to position their own brands in the market. However, the Vice Chairman of the National Assembly noted that this proposal may be effective in societies with an even level of development, where industry associations and business communities are more or less well-organized, have high prestige and social responsibility.

Minister of Agriculture and Environment Do Duc Duy speaks at the meeting.

The Vice Chairman of the National Assembly hopes that the two amended laws will not only control risks but also open up opportunities for pioneering businesses to build brands associated with the three standards for measuring the level of sustainable development of businesses: ESG (Environment, Society and Governance).

The business community needs a favorable, fair, and healthy “playground” and “rules of the game”. Regulations and standards, first and foremost, need to be considered as “rules” to help protect and build the reputation of the business itself, reminding businesses of the absolute limits and frameworks that must not be exceeded. Regulations and standards, if built and operated intelligently, will not be barriers, but supports for the business brand.

"A strong brand in the future does not only come from price and marketing but must come from the ability to proactively control quality, risk and demonstrate social responsibility," the Vice Chairman of the National Assembly stated.

At the meeting, delegates discussed the content of different opinions related to the two draft laws.

Receiving the instructions of Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Le Minh Hoan and the opinions expressed at the meeting, the Chairman of the Committee on Science, Technology and Environment also requested that the two drafting agencies continue to closely coordinate with the Standing Committee on Science, Technology and Environment to receive and complete the two draft laws submitted to the National Assembly.

Thanh Chi

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/pho-chu-tich-quoc-hoi-le-minh-hoan-chu-tri-lam-viec-ve-2-du-thao-luat-post411322.html