Full text of EVFTA in MS Word format
Full text of the Annexes of EVFTA in MS Word format

CHAPTER 8: LIBERALISATION OF INVESTMENT, TRADE IN SERVICES AND ELECTRONIC COMMERCE

SECTION A GENERAL PROVISIONS

ARTICLE 8.1

Objectives and Scope

1.         The Parties, affirming their respective commitments under the WTO Agreement and their commitment to create a better climate for the development of trade and investment between the Parties, hereby lay down the necessary arrangements for the progressive liberalisation of investment and trade in services and for cooperation on electronic commerce.

2.         Consistent with the provisions of this Chapter, each Party retains the right to adopt, maintain and enforce measures necessary to pursue legitimate policy objectives such as the protection of the environment and public health, social policy, the integrity and stability of the financial system, the promotion of security and safety, and the promotion and protection of cultural diversity.

3.         This Chapter does not apply to measures affecting natural persons seeking access to the employment market of a Party, nor does it apply to measures regarding citizenship, residence or employment on a permanent basis.

4.         Nothing in this Chapter shall prevent a Party from applying measures to regulate the entry of natural persons into, or their temporary stay in, its territory, including those measures necessary to protect the integrity of, and to ensure the orderly movement of natural persons across, its borders, provided that such measures are not applied in such a manner as to nullify

or impair the benefits1 accruing to any Party under the terms of a specific commitment in this Chapter and its Annexes.

5.         Nothing in this Chapter shall be construed as limiting the obligations of the Parties under Chapter 9 (Government Procurement) or to impose any additional obligation relating to government procurement.

6.         This Chapter does not apply to subsidies granted by the Parties2, except for Article 8.8 (Performance Requirements).

7.         A Party's decision not to issue, renew or maintain a subsidy or grant, shall not constitute a breach of Article 8.8 (Performance Requirements), in the following circumstances:

(a)     in the absence of any of the Party's specific commitments to the investor under law or contract to issue, renew, or maintain that subsidy or grant; or

(b)     in accordance with any terms or conditions attached to the issuance, renewal or maintenance of the subsidy or grant.

8.         This Chapter does not apply to the Parties' respective social security systems or to activities in the territory of each Party, which are connected, even occasionally, with the exercise of official authority.

ARTICLE 8.2

Definitions

1.         For the purposes of this Chapter:

(a)     "aircraft repair and maintenance services during which an aircraft is withdrawn from service" means such activities when undertaken on an aircraft or a part thereof while it is withdrawn from service and do not include so-called line maintenance;

(b)    "computer reservation system (CRS) services" means services provided by computerised systems that contain information about air carriers' schedules, availability, fares and fare rules, through which reservations can be made or tickets may be issued;

(c)     "cross-border supply of services" means the supply of a service:

(i)     from the territory of a Party into the territory of the other Party; or

(ii)    in the territory of a Party to the service consumer of the other Party;

(d)     "economic activities" include activities of an industrial, commercial and professional character and activities of craftsmen, but do not include activities performed in the exercise of governmental authority;

(e)     "enterprise" means a juridical person, branch3 or representative office set up through establishment;

(f)     "establishment" means the setting up, including the acquisition, of a juridical person or creation of a branch or a representative office in the Union or in Viet Nam, respectively4, with a view to establishing or maintaining lasting economic links;

(g)     "ground handling services" means the supply at an airport of the following services: airline representation, administration and supervision; passenger handling; baggage handling; ramp services; catering; air cargo and mail handling; fuelling of an aircraft, aircraft servicing and cleaning; surface transport; flight operation, crew administration and flight planning. Ground handling services do not include security, aircraft repair and maintenance, or management or operation of essential centralised airport infrastructure such as de-icing facilities, fuel distribution systems, baggage handling systems, and fixed intra-airport transport systems;

(h)     "investor" means a natural person or a juridical person of a Party that seeks to establish5, is establishing or has established an enterprise in the territory of the other Party;

(i)      "juridical person" means any legal entity duly constituted or otherwise organised under applicable law, whether for profit or otherwise, and whether privately-owned or governmentally-owned, including any corporation, trust, partnership, joint venture, sole proprietorship or association;

(j)      "juridical person of a Party" means a juridical person of the Union or a juridical person of Viet Nam, set up in accordance with the domestic laws and regulations of the Union or its Member States, or of Viet Nam, respectively, and engaged in substantive business operations6 in the territory of the Union or of Viet Nam, respectively;

(k)     "measures adopted or maintained by a Party" means measures taken by:

(i)  central, regional or local governments and authorities; and

(ii)     non-governmental bodies in the exercise of powers delegated by central, regional or local governments or authorities;

(l)     "natural person" means a natural person of a Party as defined in subparagraph (h) of Article 1.5;

(m)    "operation" means, with respect to an enterprise, the conduct, management, maintenance, use, enjoyment, sale or other forms of disposal of the enterprise;7

(n)     "selling and marketing of air transport services" means opportunities for the air carrier concerned to freely sell and market its air transport services, including all aspects of marketing such as market research, advertising and distribution; those activities do not include the pricing of air transport services nor the applicable conditions;

(o)     "services" include any service in any sector except services supplied in the exercise of governmental authority;

(p)     "services supplied and activities performed in the exercise of governmental authority" means services supplied or activities performed neither on a commercial basis nor in competition with one or more economic operators;

(q)     "service supplier" of a Party means any natural or juridical person of a Party that supplies a service; and

(r)      "subsidiary" of a juridical person of a Party means a juridical person which is controlled by another juridical person of that Party in accordance with its domestic laws and regulations.8

2.         A juridical person is:

(a)     "owned" by natural or juridical persons of one of the Parties if more than 50 per cent of the equity interest in it is beneficially owned by persons of that Party; or

(b)     "controlled" by natural or juridical persons of one of the Parties if such persons have the power to name a majority of its directors or otherwise to legally direct its actions.

3.         Notwithstanding the definition of a "juridical person of a Party" in subparagraph 1(j), shipping companies established outside the Union or Viet Nam and controlled by nationals of a Member State of the Union or of Vietnam, respectively, shall also be covered by this Chapter if their vessels are registered in accordance with the respective domestic laws and regulations in a Member State or in Viet Nam and fly the flag of that Member State or of Viet Nam, respectively.

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