Impacts of EVFTA on exportation of Vietnamese footwear products to EU market

Abstract

The European Union - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), which officially came into play on August 1, 2020, is one of the latest endeavors of Vietnam regarding the international integration process and is expected to create a great boost for Vietnamese exports to the EU. Footwear, one of the Vietnamese key export products, is also inevitably affected by this agreement. This study was conducted to evaluate the impacts of the EVFTA on the growth of Vietnam footwear exportation to the EU market by quantitative analysis method through the SMART model based on the database of trade and tariffs between Vietnam - EU and under a scenario in which tariffs are reduced to 0% once the EVFTA comes into force. The authors have collected, synthesized, and analyzed secondary data from trustworthy sources, and conducted in-depth interviews with professional experts who have been working for several years in the international integration field. Results from the study show that the EU's removal of import tariffs on Vietnamese footwear products under EVFTA not only increases Vietnamese export value but also makes these products more competitive than those of competitors, even domestic manufacturers in the EU. Some implications, therefore, are suggested to promote Vietnamese footwear exportation to the EU market in the coming time.