The EU and Vietnam completed the fourth round of negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) during the week of 2-5 July. The talks, which took place in Brussels, addressed all key subjects for a modern and comprehensive FTA. For the first time in these negotiations the EU side, led by Mauro Petriccione, Director in the European Commission’s Directorate General for Trade, and their Vietnamese counterparts, led by Vice Minister for Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh, exchanged an initial set of tariff offers. The aim is to achieve an ambitious agreement on goods, services and investment, eliminating tariffs, non-tariff barriers and covering other trade-related issues, such as public procurement, regulatory issues, competition, and sustainable development. Once in place, the agreement will boost Vietnam-EU trade ties and investment and provide for more business opportunities on both sides. The next round of negotiations will be held in Vietnam before the end of the year.