A high-level Vietnamese delegation carried out a week-long study visit to Brussels and Luxembourg from 8 to 12 December. The mission, joined by representatives of the EU Delegation to Vietnam, aimed to deepen their understanding on the legal framework for the railway sector in Europe and the role of CEN and CENELEC standards in particular, in view of the modernization of the Vietnamese railways.
The delegation included senior officials from the Ministry of Construction, the Vietnam Railway Authority, the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality (MoST), and STAMEQ (NSB of Vietnam).
Over the course of the visit, the delegation met with representatives of CLC/TC 9X 'Electrical and electronic applications for railways' and CEN/TC 256 'Railway applications', as well as representatives from European Commission DG INTPA and DG MOVE, in addition to ERA (European Union Agency for Railways), UNIFE, DB (Deutsche Bahn), and the European Investment Bank (EIB). Discussions focused on EU–Vietnam cooperation in transport, interoperability requirements, standardization in railways, safety standards, and investment practices in large infrastructure projects.
The session hosted at the CEN and CENELEC Management Centre provided the Vietnamese delegation with an introduction to the European Standardization System, ongoing technical work in the railway sector, and CEN and CENELEC’s international cooperation frameworks, and saw the participation of Ms Andreea Gulacsi, Director Policy and External Affairs, Mr Alberto Simeoni, Ms Elke Martens, and Mr Marc-Antoine Carreira da Cruz, Project Manager for railway standardization.
CEN and CENELEC were happy to be part of this Team Europe and facilitate the study visit. The exchange contributed to strengthening the technical dialogue between the EU and Vietnam, supporting Vietnam in identifying and prioritizing the standards most urgently needed in railways, including high-speed, and address its immediate regulatory and industrial needs.
