Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

**Council of the**
**European Union**

**Interinstitutional File:**

**2018/0358(NLE)**

**PROPOSAL**

**Brussels, 19 October 2018**
**(OR. en)**

**13315/18**
**ADD 1**

**WTO 267**
**SERVICES 65**
**FDI 43**
**COASI 252**

From: Secretary-General of the European Commission,
signed by Mr Jordi AYET PUIGARNAU, Director

date of receipt: 19 October 2018

To: Mr Jeppe TRANHOLM-MIKKELSEN, Secretary-General of the Council of
the European Union

No. Cion doc.: COM(2018) 693 final - ANNEX 1

Subject: ANNEX to the Proposal for a Council Decision on the conclusion of the
Investment Protection Agreement between the European Union and its
Member States, of the one part, and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam of
the other part

Delegations will find attached document COM(2018) 693 final - ANNEX 1.

Encl.: COM(2018) 693 final - ANNEX 1

13315/18 ADD 1 IM/asz

## RELEX.1A EN

EUROPEAN

COMMISSION

**ANNEX**

_**to the**_

Brussels, 17.10.2018
COM(2018) 693 final

ANNEX 1

**Proposal for a Council Decision**

**on the conclusion of the Investment Protection Agreement between the European Union**

**and its Member States, of the one part, and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam of the**

**other part**

# **EN EN**

INVESTMENT PROTECTION AGREEMENT

BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN UNION

AND ITS MEMBER STATES, OF THE ONE PART,

AND THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM,

OF THE OTHER PART

EU/VN/IPA/en 1

THE EUROPEAN UNION,

hereinafter referred to as the "Union"

THE KINGDOM OF BELGIUM,

THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA,

THE CZECH REPUBLIC,

THE KINGDOM OF DENMARK,

THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY,

THE REPUBLIC OF ESTONIA,

IRELAND,

THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA

THE HELLENIC REPUBLIC,

THE KINGDOM OF SPAIN,

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC,

THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC,

THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS,

EU/VN/IPA/en 2

THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA,

THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA,

THE GRAND DUCHY OF LUXEMBURG,

HUNGARY,

THE REPUBLIC OF MALTA,

THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS,

THE REPUBLIC OF AUSTRIA,

THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND,

THE PORTUGUESE REPUBLIC,

ROMANIA,

THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA,

THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC,

THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND,

EU/VN/IPA/en 3

THE KINGDOM OF SWEDEN, and

THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND,

of the one part, hereinafter jointly referred to as the "EU Party", and

THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM

of the other part, hereinafter referred to as "Viet Nam",

hereinafter jointly referred to as the "Parties",

RECOGNISING their longstanding and strong partnership based on the common principles and

values reflected in the _Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation_

_between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Socialist Republic of_

_Viet Nam, of the other part_, signed in Brussels on 27 June 2012 (hereinafter referred to as the

"Partnership and Cooperation Agreement"), and their important economic, trade and investment

relationship, including as reflected in the _Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and_

_the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam_, signed in Brussels on dd/mm/yyyy (hereinafter referred to as the

"Free Trade Agreement");

DESIRING to further strengthen their economic relationship as part of, and in a manner coherent

with, their overall relations, and convinced that this Agreement will create a new climate for the

development of investment between the Parties;

EU/VN/IPA/en 4

RECOGNISING that this Agreement will complement and promote regional economic integration

efforts;

DETERMINED to strengthen their economic, trade and investment relationship in accordance with

the objective of sustainable development, in its economic, social and environmental dimensions,

and to promote investment under this Agreement in a manner mindful of high levels of

environmental and labour protection and relevant internationally recognised standards and

agreements;

DESIRING to raise living standards, promote economic growth and stability, create new

employment opportunities and improve the general welfare and, to this end, reaffirming their

commitment to promoting investment;

REAFFIRMING their commitments to the principles of sustainable development in the Free Trade

Agreement;

RECOGNISING the importance of transparency as reflected in their commitments in the Free

Trade Agreement;

REAFFIRMING their commitment to the _Charter of the United Nations_, done at San Francisco on

26 June 1945, and having regard to the principles articulated in _The Universal Declaration of_

_Human Rights_, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 10 December 1948;

EU/VN/IPA/en 5

BUILDING on their respective rights and obligations under the _Marrakesh Agreement establishing_

_the World Trade Organization_, done at Marrakesh on 15 April 1994 (hereinafter referred to as the

"WTO Agreement") and other multilateral, regional and bilateral agreements and arrangements to

which they are party, in particular, the Free Trade Agreement;

DESIRING to promote the competitiveness of their companies by providing them with a

predictable legal framework for their investment relations,

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

EU/VN/IPA/en 6

CHAPTER 1

OBJECTIVES AND GENERAL DEFINITIONS

ARTICLE 1.1

Objective

The objective of this Agreement is to enhance the investment relations between the Parties in

accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.

ARTICLE 1.2

Definitions

For the purposes of this Agreement:

(a) "natural person of a Party" means, in the case of the EU Party, a national of one of the

Member States of the Union in accordance with its domestic laws **[1]** and regulations and, in the

case of Viet Nam, a national of Viet Nam in accordance with its domestic laws and

regulations;

**1** The term "natural person" includes natural persons permanently residing in Latvia who are
not citizens of Latvia or any other state but who are entitled, under the laws and regulations of
Latvia, to receive a non-citizen's passport (Alien's Passport).

EU/VN/IPA/en 7

(b) "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;

(c) "juridical person of a Party" means a juridical person of the EU Party or a juridical person of

Viet Nam, set up in accordance with the domestic laws and regulations of a Member State of

the Union, or of Viet Nam, respectively, and engaged in substantive business operations **[1]** in

the territory of the Union or of Viet Nam, respectively;

a juridical person is:

(i) "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 the EU Party, or of

Viet Nam, respectively; or

**1** In line with its notification of the Treaty establishing the European Community to the World
Trade Organization (WT/REG39/1), the Union and its Member States understand that the
concept of "effective and continuous link" with the economy the Union enshrined in
Article 54 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union is equivalent to the
concept of "substantive business operations". Accordingly, for a juridical person set up in
accordance with the laws and regulations of Viet Nam and having only its registered office or
central administration in the territory of Viet Nam, the Union and its Member States shall
only apply the benefits of this Agreement if that juridical person possesses an effective and
continuous link with the economy of Viet Nam.

EU/VN/IPA/en 8

(ii) "controlled" by natural or juridical persons of one of the Parties if persons of the EU

Party, or of Viet Nam, respectively, have the power to name a majority of its directors

or otherwise to legally direct its actions;

(d) "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;

(e) "economic activities" includes activities of an industrial, commercial and professional

character and activities of craftsmen, but do not include services supplied or activities

performed in the exercise of governmental authority;

(f) "operation" means, with respect to an investment, the conduct, management, maintenance,

use, enjoyment, sale or other forms of disposal of the investment; **[1]**

(g) "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;

**1** For greater certainty, this does not include steps taking place at the time of or before the
procedures required for making the related investment are completed in accordance with the
applicable laws and regulations.

EU/VN/IPA/en 9

(h) "investment" means every kind of asset which is owned or controlled, directly or indirectly,

by an investor of a Party in the territory **[1]** of the other Party, which has the characteristics of an

investment, including such characteristics as the commitment of capital or other resources, the

expectation of gain or profit, the assumption of risk and a certain duration; forms that an

investment may take include:

(i) tangible or intangible, movable or immovable property, as well as any other property

rights, such as leases, mortgages, liens and pledges;

(ii) an enterprise **[2]** as well as shares, stocks and other forms of equity participation in an

enterprise, including rights derived therefrom;

(iii) bonds, debentures, and loans and other debt instruments, including rights derived

therefrom;

(iv) turnkey, construction, management, production, concession, revenue-sharing and other

similar contracts;

**1** For greater certainty, the territory of a Party includes its exclusive economic zone and
continental shelf, as provided for under _United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea_,
done at Montego Bay on 10 December 1982 (hereinafter referred to as the "UNCLOS").
**2** For the purpose of the definition of "investment", an "enterprise" does not include a
representative office. For greater certainty, the fact that a representative office is established
in the territory of a Party is not in itself considered that there is an investment.

EU/VN/IPA/en 10

(v) claims to money or to other assets or any contractual performance having an economic

value; **[1]** and

(vi) intellectual property rights **[2]** and goodwill;

returns that are invested shall be treated as investments provided that they have the

characteristics of an investment and any alteration of the form in which assets are invested or

reinvested shall not affect their qualification as investments as long as they maintain the

characteristics of an investment;

**1** For greater certainty, claims to money do not include claims to money that arise solely from
commercial contracts for the sale of goods or services by a natural or juridical person in the
territory of a Party to a natural or juridical person in the territory of the other Party, or
financing of such contract other than a loan covered by subparagraph (iii), or any related
order, judgement, or arbitral award.
**2** For the purposes of this Agreement, intellectual property rights refer at least to all categories
of intellectual property that are referred to in Sections 1 to 7 of Part II of the TRIPS
Agreement, namely:
(a) copyright and related rights;
(b) trademarks;
(c) geographical indications;
(d) industrial designs;
(e) patent rights;
(f) layout-designs (topographies) of integrated circuits;
(g) protection of undisclosed information; and
(h) plant varieties.

EU/VN/IPA/en 11

(i) "investor of a Party" means a natural person of a Party or a juridical person of a Party who has

made an investment in the territory of the other Party;

(j) "returns" means all amounts yielded by or derived from an investment or reinvestment,

including profits, dividends, capital gains, royalties, interest, payments in connection with

intellectual property rights, payments in kind and all other lawful income;

(k) "measure" means any measure by a Party, whether in the form of a law, regulation, rule,

procedure, decision, administrative action or any other form;

(l) "person" means a natural person or a legal person;

(m) "third country" means a country or territory outside the scope of territorial application of this

Agreement as defined in Article 4.22 (Territorial Application);

(n) "EU Party" means the Union or its Member States or the Union and its Member States within

their respective areas of competence as derived from the Treaty on the European Union and

the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union;

(o) "Party" means the EU Party or Viet Nam;

EU/VN/IPA/en 12

(p) "domestic" means with regard to legislation, law or laws and regulations for the Union and its

Member States **[1]** and for Viet Nam, respectively, legislation, law or laws and regulations at

central, regional or local level; and

(q) "covered investment" means an investment by investor of a Party in the territory of the other

Party, in existence as of the date of entry into force of this Agreement or made or acquired

thereafter, that has been made in accordance with the other Party's applicable law and

regulations.

CHAPTER 2

INVESTMENT PROTECTION

ARTICLE 2.1

Scope

1. This Chapter applies to:

(a) covered investment, and

(b) investors of a Party with respect to the operation of their covered investment.

**1** For greater certainty, the domestic laws and regulations of the Member States of the Union
include the Union's laws and regulations.

EU/VN/IPA/en 13

2. Articles 2.3 (National Treatment) and 2.4 (Most-Favoured-Nation Treatment) do not apply to:

(a) audio-visual services;

(b) mining, manufacturing and processing **[1]** of nuclear materials;

(c) production of or trade in arms, munitions and war material;

(d) national maritime cabotage; **[2]**

(e) domestic and international air transport services, whether scheduled or non-scheduled, and

services directly related to the exercise of traffic rights, other than:

(i) aircraft repair and maintenance services during which an aircraft is withdrawn from

service;

**1** For greater certainty, processing of nuclear materials includes all the activities contained in
the _International Standard Industrial Classification of all Economic Activities_ as set out in
Statistical Office of the United Nations, Statistical Papers, Series M, N 4, ISIC REV 3.1, 2002
code 2330.
**2** Without prejudice to the scope of activities which constitute cabotage under domestic laws
and regulations, national maritime cabotage under this Sub-Section covers transportation of
passengers or goods between a port or point located in Member State of the Union or
Viet Nam and another port or point located in that same Member State of the Union or
Viet Nam, including on its continental shelf, as provided for in UNCLOS, and traffic
originating and terminating in the same port or point located in a Member State of the Union
or Viet Nam.

EU/VN/IPA/en 14

(ii) the selling and marketing of air transport services;

(iii) computer reservation system services;

(iv) ground handling services; and

(v) airport operation services;

and

(f) services supplied and activities performed in the exercise of governmental authority.

3. Articles 2.3 (National Treatment) and 2.4 (Most-Favoured-Nation Treatment) do not apply to

subsidies granted by the Parties. **[1]**

4. 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.

**1** In the case of the EU Party "subsidy" includes "state aid" as defined in Union law. For
Viet Nam, "subsidy" includes investment incentives, and investment assistance such as
production site assistance, human resources training and competitiveness strengthening
activities, such as assistance for technology, research and development, legal aids, market
information and promotion.

EU/VN/IPA/en 15

5. 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.

6. With the exception of Articles 2.1 (Scope), 2.2 (Investment and Regulatory Measures and

Objectives) and 2.5 (Treatment of Investment) to 2.9 (Subrogation), nothing in this Agreement shall

be construed as limiting the obligations of the Parties under Chapter 9 (Government Procurement)

of the Free Trade Agreement or to impose any additional obligation with respect to government

procurement. For greater certainty, measures with respect to government procurement that are in

compliance with Chapter 9 (Government Procurement) of the Free Trade Agreement shall not be

considered a breach of Articles 2.1 (Scope), 2.2 (Investment and Regulatory Measures and

Objectives) and 2.5 (Treatment of Investment) to 2.9 (Subrogation).

ARTICLE 2.2

Investment and Regulatory Measures and Objectives

1. The Parties reaffirm their right to regulate within their territories to achieve legitimate policy

objectives, such as the protection of public health, safety, environment or public morals, social or

consumer protection, or promotion and protection of cultural diversity.

EU/VN/IPA/en 16

2. For greater certainty, this Chapter shall not be interpreted as a commitment from a Party that

it will not change its legal and regulatory framework, including in a manner that may negatively

affect the operation of investments or the investor's expectations of profits.

3. For greater certainty and subject to paragraph 4, a Party's decision not to issue, renew or

maintain a subsidy or a grant shall not constitute a breach of this Chapter in the following

circumstances:

(a) in the absence of any specific commitment to an investor of the other Party or to a covered

investment 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.

4. For greater certainty, nothing in this Chapter shall be construed as preventing a Party from

discontinuing the granting of a subsidy **[1]** or requesting its reimbursement, or as requiring that Party

to compensate the investor therefor, where such action has been ordered by one of its competent

authorities listed in Annex 1 (Competent Authorities).

**1** In the case of the EU Party, "subsidy" includes "state aid" as defined in the Union's law. For
Viet Nam, "subsidy" includes investment incentives, and investment assistance such as
production site assistance, human resources training and competitiveness strengthening
activities, such as assistance for technology, research and development, legal aids, market
information and promotion.

EU/VN/IPA/en 17

ARTICLE 2.3

National Treatment

1. Each Party shall accord to investors of the other Party and to covered investments, with

respect to the operation of the covered investments, treatment no less favourable than that it

accords, in like situations, to its own investors and to their investments.

2. Notwithstanding paragraph 1 and, in the case of Viet Nam subject to Annex 2 (Exemption for

Viet Nam on National Treatment), a Party may adopt or maintain any measure with respect to the

operation of a covered investment provided that such measure is not inconsistent with the

commitments set out in Annex 8-A (The Union's Schedule of Specific Commitments) or Annex 8-B

(Viet Nam's Schedule of Specific Commitments) of the Free Trade Agreement, respectively, where

such measure is:

(a) a measure that is adopted on or before the date of entry into force of this Agreement;

(b) a measure referred to in subparagraph (a) that is being continued, replaced or amended after

the date of entry into force of this Agreement, provided the measure is no less consistent with

paragraph 1 after it is continued, replaced or amended than the measure as it existed prior to

its continuation, replacement or amendment; or

EU/VN/IPA/en 18

(c) a measure not falling within subparagraph (a) or (b), provided it is not applied in respect of, or

in a way that causes loss or damage **[1]** to, investments made in the territory of the Party before

the date of entry into force of such measure.

ARTICLE 2.4

Most-Favoured-Nation Treatment

1. Each Party shall accord to investors of the other Party and to covered investments, with

respect to the operation of the covered investments, treatment no less favourable than the treatment

it accords, in like situations, to investors of a third country and their investments.

2. Paragraph 1 does not apply to the following sectors:

(a) communication services, except for postal services and telecommunication services;

(b) recreational, cultural and sporting services;

**1** For the purposes of this subparagraph, the Parties understand that if a Party has provided for a
reasonable phase-in period for the implementation of a measure or if that Party has made any
other attempt to address the effects of the measure on investments made before the date of
entry into force of the measure, those factors shall be taken into account in determining
whether the measure causes loss or damage to investments made before the date of entry into
force of the measure.

EU/VN/IPA/en 19

(c) fishery and aquaculture;

(d) forestry and hunting; and

(e) mining, including oil and gas.

3. Paragraph 1 shall not be construed as obliging a Party to extend to investors of the other Party

or covered investments the benefit of any treatment granted pursuant to any bilateral, regional or

international agreement that entered into force before the date of entry into force of this Agreement.

4. Paragraph 1 shall not be construed as obliging a Party to extend to investors of the other Party

or covered investments the benefit of:

(a) any treatment granted pursuant to any bilateral, regional or multilateral agreement which

includes commitments to abolish substantially all barriers to investment among the parties or

requires the approximation of legislation of the parties in one or more economic sectors; **[1]**

(b) any treatment resulting from any international agreement for the avoidance of double taxation

or other international agreement or arrangement relating wholly or mainly to taxation; or

**1**
For greater certainty, the ASEAN Economic Community falls within the concept of regional
agreement under this subparagraph.

EU/VN/IPA/en 20

(c) any treatment resulting from measures providing for the recognition of qualifications, licences

or prudential measures in accordance with Article VII of the _General Agreement on Trade in_

_Services_ **[1]** or its Annex on Financial Services.

5. For greater certainty, the term "treatment" referred to in paragraph 1 does not include dispute

resolution procedures or mechanisms, such as those included in Section B (Resolution of Disputes

between Investors and Parties) of Chapter 3 (Dispute Resolution), provided for in any other

bilateral, regional or international agreements. Substantive obligations in such agreements do not in

themselves constitute "treatment" and thus cannot be taken into account when assessing a breach of

this Article. Measures by a Party pursuant to those substantive obligations shall be considered

"treatment".

6. This Article shall be interpreted in accordance with the principle of _ejusdem generis_ . **[2]**

**1** As contained in Annex 1b of the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the World Trade
Organization, done at Marrakesh on 15 April 1994.
**2** For greater certainty, this paragraph shall not be construed as preventing the interpretation of
other provisions of this Agreement, where appropriate, in accordance with the principle of
_ejusdem generis._

EU/VN/IPA/en 21

ARTICLE 2.5

Treatment of Investment

1. Each Party shall accord fair and equitable treatment and full protection and security to

investors of the other Party and covered investments in accordance with paragraphs 2 to 7 and

Annex 3 (Understanding on the Treatment of Investments).

2. A Party breaches the obligation of fair and equitable treatment referred to in paragraph 1

where a measure or series of measures constitutes:

(a) a denial of justice in criminal, civil or administrative proceedings;

(b) a fundamental breach of due process in judicial and administrative proceedings;

(c) manifest arbitrariness;

(d) targeted discrimination on manifestly wrongful grounds, such as gender, race or religious

belief;

(e) abusive treatment such as coercion, abuse of power or similar bad faith conduct; or

(f) a breach of any further elements of the fair and equitable treatment obligation adopted by the

Parties in accordance with paragraph 3.

EU/VN/IPA/en 22

3. Treatment not listed in paragraph 2 may constitute a breach of fair and equitable treatment

where the Parties have so agreed in accordance with the procedures provided for in

Article 4.3 (Amendments).

4. When applying paragraphs 1 to 3, a dispute settlement body under Chapter 3 (Dispute

Settlement) may take into account whether a Party made a specific representation to an investor of

the other Party to induce a covered investment that created a legitimate expectation, and upon which

the investor relied in deciding to make or maintain that investment, but that the Party subsequently

frustrated.

5. For greater certainty, the term "full protection and security" referred to in paragraph 1 refers

to a Party's obligations to act as may be reasonably necessary to protect physical security of the

investors and the covered investments.

6. Where a Party has entered into a written agreement with investors of the other Party or

covered investments that satisfies all of the following conditions, that Party shall not breach that

agreement through the exercise of governmental authority. The conditions are:

(a) the written agreement is concluded and takes effect after the date of entry into force of this

Agreement; **[1]**

**1** For greater certainty, a written agreement that is concluded and takes effect after the date of
entry into force of this Agreement does not include the renewal or extension of an agreement
in accordance with the provisions of the original agreement, and on the same or substantially
the same terms and conditions as the original agreement, which has been concluded and
entered into force before the date of entry into force of this Agreement.

EU/VN/IPA/en 23

(b) the investor relies on the written agreement in deciding to make or maintain the covered

investment other than the written agreement itself and the breach causes actual damages to

that investment;

(c) the written agreement **[1]** creates an exchange of rights and obligations in connection to the said

investment, binding on both parties; and

(d) the written agreement does not contain a clause on the settlement of disputes between the

parties to that agreement by international arbitration.

7. A breach of another provision of this Agreement, or of a separate international agreement,

does not establish that there has been a breach of this Article.

ARTICLE 2.6

Compensation for Losses

1. Investors of a Party whose covered investments suffer losses owing to war or other armed

conflict, a revolution, a state of national emergency, a revolt, an insurrection or a riot in the territory

of the other Party shall be accorded by that other Party, with respect to restitution, indemnification,

compensation or other form of settlement, treatment no less favourable than that accorded by that

other Party to its own investors or to the investors of any third country.

**1** The term "written agreement" means an agreement in writing, entered into by a Party with an
investor of the other Party or their investment and negotiated and executed by both parties,
whether in a single instrument or multiple instruments.

EU/VN/IPA/en 24

2. Without prejudice to paragraph 1, investors of a Party who, in any of the situations referred to

in paragraph 1, suffer losses in the territory of the other Party shall be accorded prompt, adequate

and effective restitution or compensation by the other Party if those losses result from:

(a) requisitioning of covered investment or a part thereof by the other Party's armed forces or

authorities; or

(b) destruction of covered investment or a part thereof by the other Party's armed forces or

authorities,

which was not required by the necessity of the situation.

ARTICLE 2.7

Expropriation

1. A Party shall not nationalise or expropriate the covered investments of investors of the other

Party either directly, or indirectly through measures having an effect equivalent to nationalisation or

expropriation (hereinafter referred to as "expropriation"), except:

(a) for a public purpose;

(b) under due process of law;

EU/VN/IPA/en 25

(c) on a non-discriminatory basis; and

(d) against payment of prompt, adequate and effective compensation.

2. The compensation referred to in paragraph 1 shall amount to the fair market value of the

covered investment at the time immediately before the expropriation or the impending expropriation

became public knowledge, whichever is earlier, plus interest at a reasonable rate established on a

commercial basis, from the date of expropriation until the date of payment. Such compensation

shall be effectively realisable, freely transferable in accordance with Article 2.8 (Transfer) and

made without delay.

3. Notwithstanding paragraphs 1 and 2, in the case that Viet Nam is the expropriating Party, any

measure of direct expropriation relating to land shall be:

(a) for a purpose in accordance with the applicable domestic laws and regulations **[1]** ; and

(b) upon payment of compensation equivalent to the market value, while recognising the

applicable domestic laws and regulations.

4. The issuance of compulsory licences in relation to intellectual property rights does not

constitute an expropriation within the meaning of paragraph 1, to the extent that such issuance is

consistent with the _Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights_ contained

in Annex 1C of the WTO Agreement (hereinafter referred to as "TRIPS Agreement").

**1** The applicable domestic laws and regulations is Viet Nam's Land Law No. 45/2013/QH13
and Decree No. 44/2014/ND-CP Regulating Land Prices, as at the date of entry into force of
this Agreement.

EU/VN/IPA/en 26

5. An investor affected by an expropriation shall have a right, under the law of the expropriating

Party, to prompt review of its claim and of the valuation of its investment, by a judicial or other

independent authority of that Party.

6. This Article shall be interpreted in accordance with Annex 4 (Understanding on

Expropriation).

ARTICLE 2.8

Transfer

Each Party shall permit all transfers relating to covered investments to be made in a freely

convertible currency, without restriction or delay and at the market rate of exchange applicable on

the date of transfer. Such transfers include:

(a) contributions to capital, such as principal and additional funds to maintain, develop or

increase the investment;

(b) profits, dividends, capital gains and other returns, proceeds from the sale of all or any part of

the investment or from the partial or complete liquidation of the investment;

(c) payments of interest, royalties, management fees, and technical assistance and other fees;

EU/VN/IPA/en 27

(d) payments made under a contract entered into by the investor, or the covered investment,

including payments made pursuant to a loan agreement;

(e) earnings and other remuneration of personnel engaged from abroad and working in

connection with the investment;

(f) payments made pursuant to Article 2.6 (Compensation for Losses) and

Article 2.7 (Expropriation); and

(g) payments of damages pursuant to an award issued under Section B (Resolution of Disputes

between Investors and Parties) of Chapter 3 (Dispute Settlement).

ARTICLE 2.9

Subrogation

If a Party, or an agency thereof, makes a payment under an indemnity, a guarantee or a contract of

insurance it has entered into in respect of an investment made by one of its investors in the territory

of the other Party, the other Party shall recognise the subrogation or transfer of any right or title or

the assignment of any claim in respect of such investment. The Party or the agency shall have the

right to exercise the subrogated or assigned right or claim to the same extent as the original right or

claim of the investor. Such rights may be exercised by the Party or an agency thereof, or by the

investor only if the Party or an agency thereof so authorises.

EU/VN/IPA/en 28

CHAPTER 3

DISPUTE SETTLEMENT

SECTION A

RESOLUTION OF DISPUTES BETWEEN PARTIES

SUB-SECTION 1

OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE

ARTICLE 3.1

Objective

The objective of this Chapter is to establish an effective and efficient mechanism for avoiding and

settling any dispute between the Parties regarding the interpretation and application of this

Agreement with a view to arriving at a mutually agreed solution.

EU/VN/IPA/en 29

ARTICLE 3.2

Scope

This Chapter applies with respect to the avoidance and settlement of any dispute between the

Parties regarding the interpretation or application of the provisions of this Agreement, except as

otherwise provided for in this Agreement.

SUB-SECTION 2

CONSULTATIONS AND MEDIATION

ARTICLE 3.3

Consultations

1. The Parties shall endeavour to resolve any dispute referred to in Article 3.2 (Scope) by

entering into consultations in good faith with the aim of reaching a mutually agreed solution.

2. A Party shall seek consultations by means of a written request to the other Party, copied to the

Committee established pursuant to Article 4.1 (Committee), identifying the measure at issue and the

relevant provisions of this Agreement.

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3. Consultations shall be held within 30 days of the date of receipt of the request referred to in

paragraph 2 and take place, unless the Parties agree otherwise, in the territory of the Party to which

the request is made. The consultations shall be deemed concluded within 45 days of the date of

receipt of the request, unless both Parties agree to continue consultations. Consultations, in

particular all information disclosed and positions taken by the Parties, shall be confidential and

without prejudice to the rights of either Party in any further proceedings.

4. Consultations on matters of urgency, including those regarding perishable goods, seasonal

goods or seasonal services, shall be held within 15 days of the date of receipt of the request referred

to in paragraph 2. The consultations shall be deemed concluded within 20 days, unless both Parties

agree to continue consultations.

5. The Party that sought consultations may have recourse to Article 3.5 (Initiation of the

Arbitration Procedure) if:

(a) the other Party does not respond to the request for consultations within 15 days of the date of

its receipt;

(b) the consultations are not held within the timeframes provided for in paragraphs 3 or 4;

(c) the Parties agree not to have consultations; or

(d) the consultations have been concluded without a mutually agreed solution.

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6. During consultations each Party shall provide sufficient factual information for an

examination of the manner in which the measure at issue could affect the operation and application

of this Agreement.

ARTICLE 3.4

Mediation Mechanism

The Parties may at any time agree to enter into a mediation procedure pursuant to

Annex 9 (Mediation Mechanism) with respect to any measure adversely affecting investment

between the Parties.

SUB-SECTION 3

DISPUTE SETTLEMENT PROCEDURES

ARTICLE 3.5

Initiation of the Arbitration Procedure

1. If the Parties fail to resolve the dispute by recourse to consultations as provided for in

Article 3.3 (Consultations), the Party that sought consultations may request the establishment of an

arbitration panel.

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2. The request for the establishment of an arbitration panel shall be made in writing to the other

Party and copied to the Committee. The complaining Party shall identify the measure at issue in its

request, and explain how that measure is inconsistent with the provisions of this Agreement in such

a manner as to clearly present the legal basis for the complaint.

ARTICLE 3.6

Terms of Reference of the Arbitration Panel

Unless the Parties agree otherwise within 10 days of the date of the selection of the arbitrators, the

terms of reference of the arbitration panel shall be:

"To examine, in the light of the relevant provisions of this Agreement cited by the Parties, the

matter referred to in the request for the establishment of an arbitration panel pursuant to

Article 3.5 (Initiation of the Arbitration Procedure), to rule on the conformity of the measure in

question with the provisions referred to in Article 3.2 (Scope), and to set out in its report the

findings of fact, the applicability of relevant provisions and the basic rationale for any findings and

recommendations, in accordance with Articles 3.10 (Interim Report) and 3.11 (Final Report).".

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ARTICLE 3.7

Establishment of the Arbitration Panel

1. An arbitration panel shall be composed of three arbitrators.

2. Within 10 days of the date of receipt by the Party complained against of the request for the

establishment of an arbitration panel, the Parties shall consult in order to agree on the composition

of the arbitration panel.

3. If the Parties do not agree on the composition of the arbitration panel within the time frame

provided for in paragraph 2, each Party may appoint an arbitrator from the sub-list of that Party

established under Article 3.23 (List of Arbitrators) within 10 days of the expiry of the time frame

provided for in paragraph 2. If a Party fails to appoint an arbitrator from its sub-list the arbitrator

shall be selected by lot, upon request of the other Party, by the chair of the Committee, or the chair's

delegate, from the sub-list of that Party established under Article 3.23 (List of Arbitrators).

4. If the Parties do not agree on the chairperson of the arbitration panel within the time frame

provided for in paragraph 2 the chair of the Committee, or the chair's delegate, shall select by lot,

upon request of a Party, the chairperson of the arbitration panel from the sub-list of chairpersons

established under Article 3.23 (List of Arbitrators).

5. The chair of the Committee, or the chair's delegate, shall select the arbitrators within five days

of the request referred to in paragraphs 3 or 4.

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6. The date of establishment of the arbitration panel shall be the date on which the three selected

arbitrators have notified the Parties of the acceptance of their appointment in accordance with

Annex 7 (Rules of Procedure).

7. If any of the lists provided for in Article 3.23 (List of Arbitrators) have not been established

or do not contain sufficient names at the time a request is made pursuant to paragraphs 3 or 4, the

arbitrators shall be drawn by lot from among the individuals who have been formally proposed by

both Parties or by a Party in the event that only one Party has made a proposal.

ARTICLE 3.8

Dispute Settlement Proceedings of the Arbitration Panel

1. The rules and procedures set out in this Article, Annexes 7 (Rules of Procedure) and 8 (Code

of Conduct for Arbitrators and Mediators) shall govern the dispute settlement proceedings of an

arbitration panel.

2. Unless the Parties agree otherwise, they shall meet the arbitration panel within 10 days of its

establishment in order to determine all matters that the Parties or the arbitration panel deem

appropriate, including the timetable of the proceedings and the remuneration and expenses of the

arbitrators in accordance with Annex 7 (Rules of Procedure). Arbitrators and representatives of the

Parties may take part in this meeting via telephone or video conference.

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3. The venue of the hearing shall be decided by mutual consent of the Parties. If the Parties do

not agree on the venue of the hearing, it shall be held in Brussels if the complaining Party is

Viet Nam and in Ha Noi if the complaining Party is the EU Party.

4. Any hearing shall be open to the public unless otherwise provided for in Annex 7 (Rules of

Procedure).

5. In accordance with Annex 7 (Rules of Procedure), the Parties shall be given the opportunity to

attend any of the presentations, statements, arguments or rebuttals in the proceedings. Any

information or written submission submitted to the arbitration panel by a Party, including any

comments on the descriptive part of the interim report, responses to questions by the arbitration

panel and comments by a Party on those responses, shall be made available to the other Party.

6. Unless the Parties agree otherwise within three days of the date of establishment of the

arbitration panel, the arbitration panel may receive, in accordance with Annex 7 (Rules of

Procedure), unsolicited written submissions ( _amicus curiae_ submissions) from natural or legal

person established in the territory of a Party.

7. For its internal deliberations, the arbitration panel shall meet in closed session where only

arbitrators take part. The arbitration panel may also permit its assistants to be present at its

deliberations. The deliberations of the arbitration panel and the documents submitted to it shall be

kept confidential.

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ARTICLE 3.9

Preliminary Ruling on Urgency

If a Party so requests, the arbitration panel shall give a preliminary ruling within 10 days of its

establishment on whether it deems the case to be urgent.

ARTICLE 3.10

Interim Report

1. The arbitration panel shall issue an interim report to the Parties setting out the findings of fact,

the applicability of relevant provisions and the basic rationale for any findings and

recommendations, no later than 90 days from the date of establishment of the arbitration panel.

When it considers that this deadline cannot be met, the chairperson of the arbitration panel shall

notify the Parties and the Committee in writing, stating the reasons for the delay and the date on

which the arbitration panel plans to issue its interim report. The arbitration panel shall, under no

circumstances, issue the interim report later than 120 days after the date of establishment of the

arbitration panel.

2. A Party may submit a written request, including comments, to the arbitration panel to review

precise aspects of the interim report within 14 days of its notification.

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3. In cases of urgency, including those involving perishable goods or seasonal goods or services,

the arbitration panel shall make every effort to issue its interim report within 45 days and, in any

case, no later than 60 days after the date of establishment of the arbitration panel. A Party may

submit a written request, including comments, to the arbitration panel to review precise aspects of

the interim report, within seven days of the notification of the interim report.

4. After considering any written requests, including comments, by the Parties on the interim

report, the arbitration panel may modify its report and make any further examination that it

considers appropriate.

ARTICLE 3.11

Final Report

1. The arbitration panel shall issue its final report to the Parties and to the Committee within

120 days of the date of establishment of the arbitration panel. When it considers that this deadline

cannot be met, the chairperson of the arbitration panel shall notify the Parties and the Committee in

writing, stating the reasons for the delay and the date on which the arbitration panel plans to issue

its final report. The arbitration panel shall under no circumstances issue the final report later than

150 days from the date of establishment of the arbitration panel.

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2. In cases of urgency, including those involving perishable goods or seasonal goods or services,

the arbitration panel shall make every effort to notify its final report within 60 days of the date of its

establishment. The arbitration panel shall under no circumstances issue the final report later than

75 days from the date of establishment of the arbitration panel.

3. The final report shall include a sufficient discussion of the arguments made at the interim

review stage, and shall clearly address the comments of the Parties.

ARTICLE 3.12

Compliance with the Final Report

The Party complained against shall take any measure necessary to comply promptly and in good

faith with the final report.

ARTICLE 3.13

Reasonable Period of Time for Compliance

1. If immediate compliance is not possible, the Parties shall endeavour to mutually agree on the

period of time to comply with the final report. In such a case, the Party complained against shall, no

later than 30 days after the receipt of the final report, notify the complaining Party and the

Committee of the time it will require for compliance (hereinafter referred to as the "reasonable

period of time").

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2. If there is disagreement between the Parties on the reasonable period of time to comply with

the final report, the complaining Party shall, within 20 days of the receipt of the notification made

in accordance with paragraph 1 by the Party complained against, request, in writing, the arbitration

panel established pursuant to Article 3.7 (Establishment of the Arbitration Panel) (hereinafter

referred to as the "original arbitration panel") to determine the length of the reasonable period of

time. That request shall be notified to the Party complained against and copied to the Committee.

3. The arbitration panel shall notify its ruling on the reasonable period of time to the Parties and

to the Committee within 20 days of the date of the submission of the request referred to in

paragraph 2.

4. The Party complained against shall inform, in writing, the complaining Party of its progress to

comply with the final report at least 30 days before the expiry of the reasonable period of time.

5. The Parties may agree to extend the reasonable period of time.

ARTICLE 3.14

Review of Measure Taken to Comply with the Final Report

1. The Party complained against shall notify the complaining Party and the Committee before

the end of the reasonable period of time of any measure that it has taken to comply with the final

report.

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2. If the Parties disagree on the existence or the consistency of any measure taken to comply

with the provisions referred to in Article 3.2 (Scope) and notified under paragraph 1, the

complaining Party may request, in writing, the original arbitration panel to rule on the matter. The

request shall be notified to the Party complained against and copied to the Committee. The

complaining Party shall identify in its request the specific measure at issue, and explain how such

measure is inconsistent with the provisions referred to in Article 3.2 (Scope) in a manner sufficient

to clearly present the legal basis for the complaint.

3. The arbitration panel shall notify its ruling to the Parties and to the Committee within 45 days of

the date of the submission of the request referred to in paragraph 2.

ARTICLE 3.15

Temporary Remedies in Case of Non-Compliance

1. If the Party complained against fails to notify the complaining Party and the Committee of

any measure taken to comply with the final report before the expiry of the reasonable period of

time, or if the arbitration panel rules that no measure to comply with has been taken or that the

measure notified under paragraph 1 of Article 3.14 (Review of Measure Taken to Comply with the

Final Report) is inconsistent with that Party's obligations under the provisions referred to in Article

3.2 (Scope), the Party complained against shall, if so requested by the complaining Party and after

consultations with that Party, present an offer for compensation.

EU/VN/IPA/en 41

2. If the complaining Party decides not to request an offer for compensation or, in case such

request is made, if no agreement on compensation is reached within 30 days of the end of the

reasonable period of time or of the issuance of the arbitration panel ruling under

Article 3.14 (Review of Measure Taken to Comply with the Final Report) that no measure to

comply with has been taken or that a measure taken is inconsistent with the provisions referred to in

Article 3.2 (Scope), the complaining Party shall be entitled, upon notification to the other Party and

to the Committee, to take appropriate measures within the framework of the preferential trade and

investment commitments applicable between the Parties which have an effect equivalent to the

nullification or impairment caused by the violation. The notification shall specify such measures.

The complaining Party may implement the measures at any moment after the expiry of 10 days

from the date of receipt of the notification by the Party complained against, unless the Party

complained against has requested arbitration under paragraph 3 of this Article.

3. If the Party complained against considers that the effect of the measures taken by the

complaining Party is not equivalent to the nullification or impairment caused by the violation, it

may request, in writing, the original arbitration panel to rule on the matter. That request shall be

notified to the complaining Party and copied to the Committee before the expiry of the period of

10 days referred to in paragraph 2. The original arbitration panel shall notify its ruling on the

measures taken by the complaining Party to the Parties and to the Committee within 30 days of the

date of the submission of the request. Obligations shall not be suspended until the original

arbitration panel has notified its ruling, and any suspension shall be consistent with that ruling.

EU/VN/IPA/en 42

4. The measures set out in this Article shall be temporary and shall not be applied after:

(a) the Parties have reached a mutually agreed solution pursuant to Article 3.19 (Mutually Agreed

Solution);

(b) the Parties have agreed that the measure notified under paragraph 1 of Article 3.14 (Review of

Measure Taken to Comply with the Final Report) brings the Party complained against into

conformity with the provisions referred to in Article 3.2 (Scope); or

(c) any measure found to be inconsistent with the provisions referred to in Article 3.2 (Scope) has

been withdrawn or amended so as to bring it into conformity with those provisions, as ruled

under paragraph 3 of Article 3.14 (Review of Measure Taken to Comply with the Final

Report).

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ARTICLE 3.16

Review of Measure Taken to Comply After the Adoption

of Temporary Remedies for Non-Compliance

1. The Party complained against shall notify the complaining Party and the Committee of any

measure it has taken to comply with the report of the arbitration panel following the measures

applied by the complaining Party or following the application of compensation, as the case may be.

With the exception of cases referred to in paragraph 2, the complaining Party shall terminate the

measures taken in accordance with Article 3.15 (Temporary Remedies in Case of Non-compliance)

within 30 days of the date of the receipt of the notification. In the event that compensation has been

applied, and with the exception of cases referred to in paragraph 2, the Party complained against

may terminate the application of such compensation within 30 days of its notification that it has

complied with the report of the arbitration panel.

2. If the Parties do not agree on whether the notified measure brings the Party complained

against into conformity with the provisions referred to in Article 3.2 (Scope), within 30 days of the

date of receipt of the notification, the complaining Party shall request, in writing, the original

arbitration panel to rule on the matter. That request shall be notified to the Party complained

against, copied to the Committee.

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3. The ruling of the arbitration panel shall be notified to the Parties and to the Committee

within 45 days of the date of the submission of the request. If the arbitration panel rules that the

notified measure is in conformity with the provisions referred to in Article 3.2 (Scope), the

measures referred to in Article 3.15 (Temporary Remedies in Case of Non-compliance) or the

compensation, as the case may be, shall be terminated. Where relevant, the level of suspension of

obligations or of compensation shall be adapted in light of the ruling of the arbitration panel.

ARTICLE 3.17

Replacement of Arbitrators

If during arbitration proceedings the original arbitration panel, or some of its members, are unable

to participate, withdraw, or need to be replaced because the member does not comply with the

requirements of the Code of Conduct in Annex 8 (Code of Conduct for Arbitrators and Mediators),

the procedure set out in Article 3.7 (Establishment of the Arbitration Panel) applies. The time limit

for the notification of the reports and rulings, as the case may be, shall be extended by 20 days.

EU/VN/IPA/en 45

ARTICLE 3.18

Suspension and Termination of Arbitration Proceedings

1. The arbitration panel shall, at the request of both Parties, suspend its work at any time for a

period agreed by the Parties not exceeding 12 consecutive months. It shall resume its work before

the end of that suspension period at the written request of both Parties. The Parties shall inform the

Committee, accordingly. The arbitration panel may also resume its work at the end of the

suspension period at the written request of either Party. The requesting Party shall inform the

Committee and the other Party, accordingly. If a Party does not request the resumption of the

arbitration panel's work at the expiry of the suspension period, the authority of the arbitration panel

shall lapse and the proceedings shall be terminated. In the event of a suspension of the work of the

arbitration panel, the time frames set out in the relevant provisions of this Chapter shall be extended

by the same period of time for which the work was suspended. The suspension and termination of

the arbitration panel's work are without prejudice to the rights of either Party in other proceedings

subject to Article 3.24 (Choice of Forum).

2. The Parties may agree to terminate the proceedings of the arbitration panel by jointly

notifying the chairperson of the arbitration panel and the Committee at any time before the issuance

of the final report of the arbitration panel.

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ARTICLE 3.19

Mutually Agreed Solution

The Parties may reach a mutually agreed solution to a dispute under this Chapter at any time. They

shall jointly notify the Committee and the chairperson of the arbitration panel, where applicable, of

any such solution. If the solution requires approval pursuant to the relevant domestic procedures of

either Party, the notification shall refer to this requirement and the dispute settlement procedure

shall be suspended. If such approval is not required, or if the completion of any such domestic

procedures is notified, the dispute settlement procedure shall be terminated.

ARTICLE 3.20

Information and Technical Advice

At the request of a Party, or upon its own initiative, the arbitration panel may request any

information it deems appropriate for the proceedings of the arbitration panel from any source,

including the Parties involved in the dispute. The arbitration panel also has the right to seek the

opinion of experts, as it deems appropriate. The arbitration panel shall consult the Parties before

choosing such experts. Any information obtained under this Article shall be disclosed and submitted

to the Parties for their comments within the time frame set by the arbitration panel.

EU/VN/IPA/en 47

ARTICLE 3.21

Rules of Interpretation

The arbitration panel shall interpret the provisions referred to in Article 3.2 (Scope) in accordance

with customary rules of interpretation of public international law, including those codified in the

_Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties_, done at Vienna on 23 May 1969 (hereinafter referred to

as the "Vienna Convention"). The arbitration panel shall also take into account relevant

interpretations in reports of panels and of the Appellate Body adopted by the Dispute Settlement

Body under Annex 2 of the WTO Agreement (hereinafter referred to as "DSB"). The reports and

rulings of the arbitration panel cannot add to or diminish the rights and obligations of the Parties

provided for in this Agreement.

ARTICLE 3.22

Decisions and Rulings of the Arbitration Panel

1. The arbitration panel shall make every effort to take any decision by consensus. In the event

that a decision cannot be reached by consensus, the matter at issue shall be decided by majority

vote. Dissenting opinions of arbitrators shall in no case be disclosed.

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2. The reports and rulings of the arbitration panel shall be accepted unconditionally by the

Parties. They shall not create any rights or obligations with respect to natural or legal persons. The

reports and rulings shall set out the findings of fact, the applicability of the relevant provisions

referred to in Article 3.2 (Scope) and the basic rationale behind any findings and conclusions. The

Committee shall make the reports and rulings of the arbitration panel publicly available in their

entirety within 10 days of their issuance, unless it decides not to do so in order to protect

confidential information.

SUB-SECTION 4

GENERAL PROVISIONS

ARTICLE 3.23

List of Arbitrators

1. The Committee shall, no later than six months after the date of entry into force of this

Agreement, establish a list of at least 15 individuals who are willing and able to serve as arbitrators.

The list shall be composed of three sub-lists:

(a) one sub-list for Viet Nam;

(b) one sub-list for the Union and its Member States; and

EU/VN/IPA/en 49

(c) one sub-list of individuals who are not nationals of either Party and do not have permanent

residence in either Party and who shall act as chairperson of the arbitration panel.

2. Each sub-list shall include at least five individuals. The Committee shall ensure that the list is

always maintained at that minimum number of individuals.

3. Arbitrators shall have demonstrated expertise and experience of law and international trade.

They shall be independent, serve in their individual capacities and not take instructions from any

organisation or government, or be affiliated with the government of any of the Parties, and shall

comply with the Code of Conduct in Annex 8 (Code of Conduct for Arbitrators and Mediators).

4. The Committee may establish an additional list of 10 individuals with demonstrated expertise

and experience in specific sectors covered by this Agreement. Subject to the agreement of the

Parties, such an additional list shall be used to compose the arbitration panel in accordance with the

procedure set out in Article 3.7 (Establishment of the Arbitration Panel).

ARTICLE 3.24

Choice of Forum

1. Recourse to the dispute settlement procedure under this Chapter shall be without prejudice to

any action in the framework of the World Trade Organization, including dispute settlement action,

or under any other international agreement to which both Parties are party.

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2. By way of derogation from paragraph 1, a Party shall not, for a particular measure, seek

redress for the breach of a substantially equivalent obligation under this Agreement and under the

WTO Agreement or under any other international agreement to which both Parties are party in the

relevant fora. Once dispute settlement proceedings have been initiated, the Party shall not bring a

claim seeking redress for the breach of the substantially equivalent obligation under the other

agreement to the other forum, unless the forum selected first fails for procedural or jurisdictional

reasons to make findings on the claim seeking redress to that obligation.

3. For the purposes of this Article:

(a) dispute settlement proceedings under the WTO Agreement are deemed to be initiated by a

Party's request for the establishment of a panel under Article 6 of the _Understanding on Rules_

_and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes_ ;

(b) dispute settlement proceedings under this Chapter are deemed to be initiated by a Party's

request for the establishment of an arbitration panel under paragraph 1 of

Article 3.5 (Initiation of the Arbitration Procedure);

(c) dispute settlement proceedings under any other international agreement are deemed to be

initiated in accordance with that agreement.

4. Nothing in this Agreement shall preclude a Party from implementing the suspension of

obligations authorised by the DSB. Neither the WTO Agreement nor the Free Trade Agreement

shall be invoked to preclude a Party from taking appropriate measures under

Article 3.15 (Temporary Remedies in Case of Non-Compliance).

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ARTICLE 3.25

Time Limits

1. All time limits laid down in this Section, including the limits for the arbitration panels to

notify their reports and rulings, shall be counted in calendar days from the day following the act or

fact to which they refer, unless otherwise specified.

2. Any time limit referred to in this Section may be modified by mutual agreement of the Parties

to the dispute. The arbitration panel may at any time propose to the Parties to modify any time limit

referred to in this Section, stating the reasons for the proposal.

ARTICLE 3.26

Review and Amendment

The Committee may review and decide to amend Annexes 7 (Rules of Procedure), 8 (Code of

Conduct for Arbitrators and Mediators) and 9 (Mediation Mechanism).

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SECTION B

Resolution of Disputes between Investors and Parties

SUB-SECTION 1

Scope and Definitions

ARTICLE 3.27

Scope

1. This Section applies to a dispute between, on the one hand, a claimant of one Party and, on

the other hand, the other Party concerning any measure **[1]** which allegedly constitutes a breach of the

provisions of Chapter 2 (Investment Protection) and which allegedly causes loss or damage to the

claimant or, where the claim is brought on behalf of a locally established company owned or

controlled by the claimant, to the locally established company.

2. For greater certainty, a claimant shall not submit a claim under this Section if its investment

has been made through fraudulent misrepresentation, concealment, corruption or conduct

amounting to an abuse of process.

**1** For greater certainty, the term "measure" may include failures to act.

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3. The Tribunal and the Appeal Tribunal established pursuant to Articles 3.38 (Tribunal) and

3.39 (Appeal Tribunal), respectively, may not decide claims that fall outside the scope of this

Article.

4. A claim with respect to restructuring of debt of a Party shall be addressed in accordance with

this Section and Annex 5 (Public Debt).

ARTICLE 3.28

Definitions

For the purposes of this Section, unless otherwise specified:

(a) "proceedings" means proceedings before the Tribunal or the Appeal Tribunal under this

Section;

(b) "disputing parties" means the claimant and the respondent;

(c) "claimant of a Party" means:

(i) an investor of a Party, as referred to in subparagraph 1(b) of Article 2.1 (Scope), acting

on its own behalf; or

EU/VN/IPA/en 54

(ii) an investor of a Party, as referred to in subparagraph 1(b) of Article 2.1 (Scope), acting

on behalf of a locally established company owned or controlled by that investor; for

greater certainty, a claim submitted under this subparagraph shall be deemed to relate to

a dispute between a Contracting State and a national of another Contracting State for the

purposes of Article 25(1) of the ICSID Convention;

(d) "ICSID Convention" means the _Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between_

_States and Nationals of Other States_, done at Washington on 18 March 1965;

(e) "non-disputing Party" means Viet Nam when the respondent is the Union or a Member State

of the Union, or the Union when Viet Nam is the respondent;

(f) "respondent" means either Viet Nam or, in the case of the EU Party, either the Union or the

Member State concerned pursuant to Article 3.32 (Notice of Intent to Submit a Claim);

(g) "locally established company" means a juridical person, established in the territory of a Party,

and owned and controlled by an investor of the other Party;

(h) "New York Convention of 1958" means the _Convention for the Recognition and Enforcement_

_of Foreign Arbitral Awards_, done at New York on 10 June 1958;

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(i) "third party funding" means any funding provided by a natural or juridical person who is not a

party to the dispute but who enters into an agreement with a disputing party in order to

finance part or all of the cost of the proceedings in return for a remuneration dependent on the

outcome of the dispute, or any funding provided by a natural or juridical person who is not a

party to the dispute in the form of a donation or grant;

(j) "UNCITRAL" means the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law; and

(k) "UNCITRAL Transparency Rules" means the UNCITRAL Rules on Transparency in

Treaty-based Investor-State Arbitration.

SUB-SECTION 2

ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND CONSULTATIONS

ARTICLE 3.29

Amicable Resolution

Any dispute should as far as possible be settled amicably through negotiations or mediation and,

where possible, before the submission of a request for consultations pursuant to

Article 3.30 (Consultations). Such settlement may be agreed at any time, including after the

commencement of proceedings under this Section.

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ARTICLE 3.30

Consultations

1. Where a dispute cannot be resolved amicably as provided for in Article 3.29 (Amicable

Resolution), a claimant of one Party alleging a breach of the provisions referred to in paragraph 1 of

Article 3.27 (Scope) shall submit a request for consultations to the other Party. The request shall

contain the following information:

(a) the name and address of the claimant and, where such request is submitted on behalf of a

locally established company, the name, address and place of incorporation of the locally

established company;

(b) the provisions referred to in paragraph 1 of Article 3.27 (Scope) alleged to have been

breached;

(c) the legal and factual basis of the claim, including the measures alleged to breach the

provisions referred to in paragraph 1 of Article 3.27 (Scope);

(d) the relief sought and the estimated amount of damages claimed; and

(e) evidence establishing that the claimant is an investor of the other Party and that it owns or

controls the covered investment including the locally established company where applicable,

in respect of which a request for consultations was submitted.

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When a request for consultations is submitted by more than one claimant, or on behalf of more than

one locally established company, the information in subparagraphs 1(a) and 1(e) shall be submitted

for each claimant or locally established company, as the case may be.

2. A request for consultations shall be submitted within:

(a) three years of the date on which the claimant or, as applicable, the locally established

company, first acquired, or should have first acquired, knowledge of the measure alleged to be

in breach of the provisions of Chapter 2 (Investment Protection) and knowledge that thereby

loss and damages incurred to:

(i) the claimant, for claims brought by an investor acting on its own behalf; or

(ii) the locally established company, for claims brought by an investor acting on behalf of a

locally established company; or

(b) two years of the date on which the claimant or, as applicable, the locally established company,

ceases to pursue claims or proceedings before a tribunal or court under domestic law and, in

any event, no later than seven years after the date on which the claimant first acquired, or

should have first acquired knowledge of the measure alleged to be in breach of the provisions

of Chapter 2 (Investment Protection) and knowledge that thereby loss and damage incurred to:

(i) the claimant, for claims brought by an investor acting on its own behalf; or

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(ii) the locally established company, for claims brought by an investor acting on behalf of a

locally established company. **[1]**

3. Unless the disputing parties agree otherwise, the place of consultation shall be:

(a) Ha Noi where the consultations concern measures of Viet Nam;

(b) Brussels where the consultations concern measures of the Union; or

(c) the capital of the Member State of the Union concerned, where the request for consultations

concerns exclusively measures of that Member State.

Consultations may also take place by videoconference or other means, particularly if a small or

medium-sized enterprise is involved.

4. Unless the disputing parties agree to a longer period, consultations shall be held within

60 days of the submission of the request for consultations.

5. In the event that the claimant has not submitted a claim pursuant to Article 3.33 (Submission

of a Claim) within 18 months of submitting the request for consultations, the claimant shall be

deemed to have withdrawn from proceedings under this Section and may not submit a claim under

this Section. This period may be extended by agreement between the parties involved in the

consultations.

**1** Subparagraph (2)(b) does not apply where Annex 12 (Concurring Proceedings) applies.

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6. The time limits set out in paragraphs 2 and 5 shall not render claims inadmissible where the

claimant can demonstrate that the failure to request consultations or submit a claim is due to the

claimant's inability to act as a result of actions deliberately taken by the Party concerned, provided

that the claimant acts as soon as reasonably possible after it has become able to act.

7. In case that the request for consultations concerns an alleged breach of the agreement by the

Union, or by a Member State of the Union, it shall be sent to the Union. If measures of a

Member State of the Union are identified, it shall also be sent to the Member State concerned.

ARTICLE 3.31

Mediation

1. The disputing parties may at any time agree to have recourse to mediation.

2. Recourse to mediation is voluntary and without prejudice to the legal position of either

disputing party.

3. Recourse to mediation may be governed by the rules set out in Annex 10 (Mediation

Mechanism for Disputes between Investors and Parties). Any time limit mentioned in

Annex 10 (Mediation Mechanism for Disputes between Investors and Parties) may be modified by

mutual agreement between the disputing parties.

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4. The mediator is appointed by agreement of the disputing parties. Such appointment may

include appointing a mediator from among the Members of the Tribunal appointed pursuant to

Article 3.38 (Tribunal) or the Members of the Appeal Tribunal appointed pursuant to

Article 3.39 (Appeal Tribunal). The disputing parties may also request the President of the Tribunal

to appoint a mediator from among the Members of the Tribunal who are neither nationals of a

Member State of the Union nor of Viet Nam.

5. Once the disputing parties agree to have recourse to mediation, the time limits set out in

paragraphs 2 and 5 of Article 3.30 (Consultations), paragraph 6 of Article 3.53 (Provisional Award)

and paragraph 5 of Article 3.54 (Appeal Procedure) shall be suspended between the date on which it

was agreed to have recourse to mediation and the date on which either party to the dispute decides

to terminate the mediation, by way of a letter to the mediator and the other disputing party. Upon

request of both disputing parties, if a division of the Tribunal has been established pursuant to

Article 3.38 (Tribunal), the division shall stay its proceedings until the date on which either party to

the dispute decides to terminate the mediation, by way of a letter to the mediator and the other

disputing party.

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SUB-SECTION 3

SUBMISSION OF A CLAIM AND CONDITIONS PRECEDENT

ARTICLE 3.32

Notice of Intent to Submit a Claim

1. If the dispute cannot be settled within 90 days of the submission of the request for

consultations, the claimant may deliver a notice of intent which shall specify, in writing, the

claimant's intention to submit the claim to dispute settlement under this Section and contain the

following information:

(a) the name and address of the claimant and, where such request is submitted on behalf of a

locally established company, the name, address and place of incorporation of the locally

established company;

(b) the provisions referred to in paragraph 1 of Article 3.27 (Scope) that are alleged to have been

breached;

(c) the legal and factual basis of the claim, including the measures that are alleged to breach the

provisions referred to in paragraph 1 of Article 3.27 (Scope); and

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(d) the relief sought and the estimated amount of damages claimed.

The notice of intent shall be sent to the Union or to Viet Nam, as the case may be. When a measure

of a Member State of the Union is identified, it shall also be sent to the Member State concerned.

2. When a notice of intent has been sent to the Union, the Union shall make a determination of

the respondent and, after having made such a determination, it shall inform the claimant within

60 days of the receipt of the notice of intent as to whether the Union or a Member State of the

Union shall be the respondent.

3. In case the claimant has not been informed of the determination of the respondent within

60 days of the receipt of the notice of intent:

(a) if the measures identified in the notice are exclusively measures of a Member State of the

Union, that Member State shall be the respondent; or

(b) if the measures identified in the notice include measures of the Union, the Union shall be the

respondent.

4. The claimant may submit a claim pursuant to Article 3.33 (Submission of a Claim) on the

basis of the determination referred to in paragraph 2, or, if no such determination has been

communicated to the claimant within the timeframe provided for in paragraph 2, in accordance with

paragraph 3.

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5. Where either the Union or its Member State is the respondent following a determination made

pursuant to paragraph 2, neither the Union nor the Member State concerned may assert the

inadmissibility of the claim, lack of jurisdiction of the Tribunal or otherwise assert that the claim or

award is unfounded or invalid on the grounds that the proper respondent should be the Union rather

than the Member State or _vice versa_ .

6. The Tribunal and the Appeal Tribunal shall be bound by the determination made pursuant to

paragraph 2.

7. Nothing in this Agreement or the applicable rules on dispute settlement shall prevent the

exchange of all information relating to a dispute between the Union and the Member State

concerned.

ARTICLE 3.33

Submission of a Claim

1. If the dispute cannot be settled within six months of the submission of the request for

consultations and at least three months have elapsed from the submission of the notice of intent to

submit a claim pursuant to Article 3.32 (Notice of Intent to Submit a Claim), the claimant, provided

that it satisfies the requirements set out in Article 3.35 (Procedural and Other Requirements for the

Submission of a Claim), may submit a claim to the Tribunal established pursuant to

Article 3.38 (Tribunal).

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2. A claim may be submitted to the Tribunal under one of the following sets of rules on dispute

settlement:

(a) the ICSID Convention;

(b) the _Rules on the Additional Facility for the Administration of Proceedings_ (hereinafter

referred to as the "ICSID Additional Facility Rules") by the Secretariat of the International

Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (hereinafter referred to "Secretariat of ICSID"),

where the conditions for proceedings pursuant to subparagraph (a) do not apply;

(c) the arbitration rules of UNCITRAL; or

(d) any other rules by agreement of the disputing parties. In the event that the claimant proposes a

specific set of dispute settlement rules and if, within 30 days of receipt of the proposal, the

disputing parties have not agreed in writing on such rules, or the respondent has not replied to

the claimant, the claimant may submit a claim under the rules provided for in subparagraphs

(a), (b) or (c).

3. All the claims identified by the claimant in the submission of its claim pursuant to this Article

must be based on measures identified in its request for consultations pursuant to subparagraph 1(c)

of Article 3.30 (Consultations).

4. The rules on dispute settlement referred to in paragraph 2 shall apply subject to the rules set

out in this Section, as supplemented by any rules adopted by the Committee, by the Tribunal or by

the Appeal Tribunal.

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5. A claim shall be deemed submitted under this Article when the claimant has initiated

proceedings under the applicable rules on dispute settlement.

6. Claims submitted in the name of a class composed of a number of unidentified claimants, or

submitted by a representative intending to conduct the proceedings in the interests of a number of

identified or unidentified claimants that delegate all decisions relating to the proceedings on their

behalf, shall not be admissible.

ARTICLE 3.34

Other Claims

1. A claimant shall not submit a claim to the Tribunal if the claimant has a pending claim before

any other domestic or international court or tribunal concerning the same measure as that alleged to

be inconsistent with the provisions referred to in paragraph 1 of Article 3.27 (Scope) and the same

loss or damage, unless the claimant withdraws such pending claim.

2. A claimant acting on its own behalf shall not submit a claim to the Tribunal if any person

who, directly or indirectly, has an ownership interest in or is controlled by the claimant has a

pending claim before the Tribunal or any other domestic or international court or tribunal

concerning the same measure as that alleged to be inconsistent with the provisions referred to in

paragraph 1 of Article 3.27 (Scope) and the same loss or damage, unless that person withdraws such

pending claim.

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3. A claimant acting on behalf of a locally established company shall not submit a claim to the

Tribunal if any person who, directly or indirectly, has an ownership interest in or is controlled by

the locally established company has a pending claim before the Tribunal or any other domestic or

international court or tribunal concerning the same measure as that alleged to be in breach of the

provisions of Chapter 2 (Investment Protection) and the same loss or damage, unless that person

withdraws such pending claim.

4. Before submitting a claim, the claimant shall provide:

(a) evidence that it and, where relevant pursuant to paragraphs 2 and 3, any person who, directly

or indirectly, has an ownership interest in or is controlled by the claimant or the locally

established company, has withdrawn any pending claim referred to in paragraphs 1, 2 or 3;

and

(b) a waiver of its right, and where applicable, of the locally established company's right, to

initiate any claim referred to in paragraph 1.

5. This Article applies in conjunction with Annex 12 (Concurring Proceedings).

6. The waiver provided pursuant to subparagraph 4(b) shall cease to apply where the claim is

rejected on the basis of a failure to meet the nationality requirements to bring an action under this

Agreement.

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7. Paragraphs 1 to 4, including Annex 12 (Concurring Proceedings), do not apply when claims

submitted to a domestic court or tribunal are initiated for the sole purpose of seeking interim

injunctive or declaratory relief and do not involve the payment of monetary damages.

8. When claims are brought both pursuant to this Section and Section A (Resolution of Disputes

between the Parties), or both pursuant to this Section and another international agreement

concerning the same treatment as that alleged to be inconsistent with the provisions of

Chapter 2 (Investment Protection), a division of the Tribunal constituted under this Section shall, as

soon as possible after hearing the disputing parties, take into account proceedings pursuant to

Section A (Resolution of Disputes between the Parties) or to another international agreement in its

decision, order or award. To that end, it may also, if it considers necessary, stay its proceedings. In

acting pursuant to this provision, the Tribunal shall respect paragraph 6 of Article 3.53 (Provisional

Award).

ARTICLE 3.35

Procedural and Other Requirements for the Submission of a Claim

1. A claim may be submitted to the Tribunal under this Section only if:

(a) the submission of the claim is accompanied by the claimant's consent in writing to the

settlement of the dispute by the Tribunal in accordance with the procedures set out in this

Section and the claimant's designation of one of the set of rules on dispute settlement referred

to in paragraph 2 of Article 3.33 (Submission of a Claim) as the applicable dispute settlement

rules;

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(b) at least six months have elapsed since the submission of the request for consultations under

Article 3.30 (Consultations) and at least three months have elapsed since the submission of

the notice of intent to submit a claim under Article 3.32 (Notice of Intent to Submit a Claim);

(c) the request for consultations and the notice of intent to submit a claim fulfil the requirements

set out in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 3.30 (Consultations), and paragraph 1 of

Article 3.32 (Notice of Intent to Submit a Claim), respectively;

(d) the legal and factual basis of the dispute was subject to prior consultations pursuant to

Article 3.30 (Consultations);

(e) all the claims identified in the submission of the claim to the Tribunal made pursuant to

Article 3.33 (Submission of a Claim) are based on the measure or measures identified in the

notice of intent to submit a claim made pursuant to Article 3.32 (Notice of Intent to Submit a

Claim); and

(f) the conditions set out in Article 3.34 (Other Claims) are fulfilled.

2. This Article is without prejudice to other jurisdictional requirements arising from the relevant

dispute settlement rules.

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ARTICLE 3.36

Consent

1. The respondent consents to the submission of a claim under this Section.

2. The claimant shall deliver its consent in accordance with the procedures provided for in this

Section at the time of submitting a claim pursuant to Article 3.33 (Submission of a Claim).

3. The consent under paragraphs 1 and 2 requires that:

(a) the disputing parties shall refrain from enforcing an award rendered pursuant to this Section

before such award has become final pursuant to Article 3.55 (Final Award); and

(b) the disputing parties shall refrain from seeking to appeal, review, set aside, annul, revise or

initiate any other similar procedure before an international or domestic court or tribunal, as

regards an award pursuant to this Section. **[1]**

4. The consent under paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be deemed to satisfy the requirements of:

(a) Article 25 of the ICSID Convention and the ICSID Additional Facility Rules for written

consent of the disputing parties; and

(b) Article II of the New York Convention of 1958 for an agreement in writing.

**1** For greater certainty, this subparagraph applies in conjunction with Article 3.57 (Enforcement
of Final Awards).

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ARTICLE 3.37

Third-Party Funding

1. In case of third-party funding, the disputing party benefiting from it shall notify the other

disputing party and the division of the Tribunal, or where the division of the Tribunal is not

established, the President of the Tribunal the existence and nature of the funding arrangement, and

the name and address of the third party funder.

2. Such notification shall be made at the time of submission of a claim, or, when the financing

agreement is concluded or the donation or grant is made after the submission of a claim, without

delay as soon as the agreement is concluded or the donation or grant is made.

3. When applying Article 3.48 (Security for Costs), the Tribunal shall take into account whether

there is third-party funding. When deciding on the cost of proceedings pursuant to paragraph 4 of

Article 3.53 (Provisional Award), the Tribunal shall take into account whether the requirements

provided for in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article have been respected.

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SUB-SECTION 4

INVESTMENT TRIBUNAL SYSTEM

ARTICLE 3.38

Tribunal

1. A Tribunal is hereby established to hear claims submitted pursuant to

Article 3.33 (Submission of a Claim).

2. Pursuant to subparagraph 5(a) of Article 4.1 (Committee), the Committee shall, upon the

entry into force of this Agreement, appoint nine Members of the Tribunal. Three of the Members

shall be nationals of a Member State of the Union, three shall be nationals of Viet Nam and three

shall be nationals of third countries. **[1]**

3. The Committee may decide to increase or decrease the number of the Members of the

Tribunal by multiples of three. Additional appointments shall be made on the same basis as

provided for in paragraph 2.

**1** Instead of proposing the appointment of three Members who have its nationality, either Party
may propose to appoint up to three Members who have other nationality. In this case, such
Members shall be considered to be nationals of the Party that proposed their appointment for
the purposes of this Article.

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4. The Members of the Tribunal shall possess the qualifications required in their respective

countries for appointment to judicial offices or be jurists of recognised competence. They shall have

demonstrated expertise in public international law. It is desirable that they have expertise, in

particular, in international investment law, international trade law and the resolution of disputes

arising under international investment or international trade agreements.

5. The Members of the Tribunal shall be appointed for a four-year term, renewable once.

However, the terms of five of the nine persons appointed immediately after the date of entry into

force of this Agreement, to be determined by lot, shall extend to six years. Vacancies shall be filled

as they arise. A person appointed to replace a person whose term of office has not expired shall hold

office for the remainder of the predecessor's term. A person who is serving on a division of the

Tribunal when his or her term expires may, with the authorisation of the President of the Tribunal,

continue to serve on the division until the closure of the proceedings of that division and shall, for

that purpose only, be deemed to continue to be a Member of the Tribunal.

6. The Tribunal shall hear cases in divisions consisting of three Members, of whom one shall be

a national of a Member State of the Union, one a national of Viet Nam and one a national of a third

country. The division shall be chaired by the Member who is a national of a third country.

7. Within 90 days of the submission of a claim pursuant to Article 3.33 (Submission of a Claim),

the President of the Tribunal shall appoint the Members composing the division of the Tribunal

hearing the case on a rotation basis, ensuring that the composition of the divisions is random and

unpredictable, while giving equal opportunity to all Members to serve.

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8. The President and Vice-President of the Tribunal shall be responsible for organisational issues

and will be appointed for a two-year term and shall be drawn by lot from among the Members who

are nationals of third countries. They shall serve on the basis of a rotation drawn by lot by the co

chairs of the Committee or their respective delegates. The Vice-President shall replace the President

when the President is unavailable.

9. Notwithstanding paragraph 6, the disputing parties may agree that a case be heard by a sole

Member who is a national of a third country, to be selected by the President of the Tribunal. The

respondent shall give sympathetic consideration to such a request from the claimant, in particular

where the claimant is a small or medium-sized enterprise or the compensation or damages claimed

are relatively low. Such a request should be made at the same time as the filing of the claim

pursuant to Article 3.33 (Submission of a Claim).

10. The Tribunal may draw up its own working procedures. The working procedures shall be

compatible with the applicable dispute settlement rules and this Section. If the Tribunal decides to

do so, the President of the Tribunal shall draw up draft working procedures in consultation with the

other Members of the Tribunal and present the draft working procedures to the Committee The draft

working procedures shall be adopted by the Committee. If the draft working procedures are not

adopted by the Committee within three months of their presentation, the President of the Tribunal

shall make the necessary revision to the draft working procedures, taking into consideration the

views expressed by the Parties. The President of the Tribunal shall subsequently present the revised

draft working procedures to the Committee. The revised draft working procedures shall be

considered adopted unless the Committee decides to reject the revised draft working procedures

within three months of their presentation.

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11. When a procedural question arises that is not covered by this Section, by any supplementing

rules adopted by the Committee or by the working procedures adopted pursuant to paragraph 10, the

relevant division of the Tribunal may adopt an appropriate procedure that is compatible with those

provisions.

12. A division of the Tribunal shall make every effort to take any decision by consensus. In case

that a decision cannot be reached by consensus, the division of the Tribunal shall render its decision

by a majority of votes of all its Members. Opinions expressed by individual Members of a division

of the Tribunal shall be anonymous.

13. The Members shall be available at all times and at short notice, and shall stay abreast of

dispute settlement activities under this Agreement.

14. In order to ensure their availability, the Members shall be paid a monthly retainer fee to be

fixed by decision of the Committee. In addition, the President of the Tribunal and the

Vice-President, where applicable, shall receive a daily fee equivalent to the fee determined pursuant

to paragraph 16 of Article 3.39 (Appeal Tribunal) for each day worked in fulfilling the functions of

President of the Tribunal pursuant to this Section.

15. The retainer fee and the daily fee referred to in paragraph 14 shall be paid by both Parties

taking into account their respective level of development into an account managed by the

Secretariat of ICSID. In the event that one Party fails to pay the retainer fee or the daily fee, the

other Party may elect to pay instead. Any such arrears will remain payable, with appropriate

interests.

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16. Unless the Committee adopts a decision pursuant to paragraph 17, the amount of the other

fees and expenses of the Members of a division of the Tribunal shall be those determined pursuant

to Regulation 14(1) of the Administrative and Financial Regulations of the ICSID Convention in

force on the date of the submission of the claim and allocated by the Tribunal among the disputing

parties in accordance with paragraph 4 of Article 3.53 (Provisional Award).

17. Upon a decision by the Committee, the retainer fee, the daily fee and the other fees and

expenses may be permanently transformed into a regular salary. In such a case, the Members of the

Tribunal shall serve on a full-time basis and they shall not be permitted to engage in any

occupation, whether gainful or not, unless exemption is exceptionally granted by the President of

the Tribunal. The Committee shall fix their remuneration and related organisational matters.

18. The Secretariat of ICSID shall act as Secretariat for the Tribunal and provide it with

appropriate support. The expenses for such support shall be allocated by the Tribunal among the

disputing parties in accordance with paragraph 4 of Article 3.53 (Provisional Award).

ARTICLE 3.39

Appeal Tribunal

1. A permanent Appeal Tribunal is hereby established to hear appeals from awards issued by the

Tribunal.

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2. The Appeal Tribunal shall be composed of six Members, of whom two shall be nationals of a

Member State of the Union, two shall be nationals of Viet Nam and two shall be nationals of third

countries.

3. Pursuant to subparagraph 5(a) of Article 4.1 (Committee), the Committee shall, upon entry

into force of this Agreement, appoint the six Members of the Appeal Tribunal. **[1]**

4. The Committee may decide to increase or decrease the number of the Members of the Appeal

Tribunal by multiples of three. Additional appointments shall be made on the same basis as

provided for in paragraphs 2 and 3.

5. The Appeal Tribunal Members shall be appointed for a four-year term, renewable once.

However, the terms of three of the six persons appointed immediately after the entry into force of

this Agreement, to be determined by lot, shall extend to six years. Vacancies shall be filled as they

arise. A person appointed to replace a person whose term of office has not expired shall hold office

for the remainder of the predecessor's term.

**1** Instead of proposing the appointment of two Members who have its nationality or citizenship,
either Party may propose to appoint up to two Members who have other nationalities or
citizenship. In this case, such Members shall be considered to be nationals or citizens of the
Party that proposed his or her appointment for the purposes of this Article.

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6. The Appeal Tribunal shall have a President and Vice-President who shall be selected by lot

for a two-year term from the Members who are nationals of third countries. They shall serve on the

basis of a rotation drawn by lot by the Chair of the Committee. The Vice-President shall replace the

President when the President is unavailable.

7. The Members of the Appeal Tribunal shall have demonstrated expertise in public

international law, and possess the qualifications required in their respective countries for

appointment to the highest judicial offices or be jurists of recognised competence. It is desirable that

they have expertise in international investment law, international trade law and the resolution of

disputes arising under international investment or international trade agreements.

8. The Appeal Tribunal shall hear appeals in divisions consisting of three Members of whom

one shall be a national of a Member State of the Union, one a national of Viet Nam and one a

national of a third country. The division shall be chaired by the Member who is a national of a third

country.

9. The composition of the division hearing each appeal shall be established in each case by the

President of the Appeal Tribunal on a rotation basis, ensuring that the composition of each division

is random and unpredictable, while giving equal opportunity to all Members to serve. A person who

is serving on a division of the Appeal Tribunal when his or her term expires may, with the

authorisation of the President of the Appeal Tribunal, continue to serve on the division until the

closure of the proceedings of that division and shall, for that purpose only, be deemed to continue to

be a Member of the Appeal Tribunal.

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10. The Appeal Tribunal shall draw up its own working procedures. The working procedures

shall be compatible with this Section and the instructions provided in Annex 13 (Working

Procedures for the Appeal Tribunal). The President of the Appeal Tribunal shall draw up draft

working procedures in consultation with the other Members of the Appeal Tribunal and present the

draft working procedures to the Committee within one year of the date of the entry into force of this

Agreement. The draft working procedures shall be adopted by the Committee. If the draft working

procedures are not adopted by the Committee within three months of their presentation, the

President of the Appeal Tribunal shall make the necessary revision to the draft working procedures,

taking into consideration the views expressed by the Parties. The President of the Appeal Tribunal

shall subsequently present the revised draft working procedures to the Committee. The revised draft

working procedures shall be considered adopted, unless the Committee decides to reject the revised

draft working procedures within three months of their presentation.

11. When a procedural question arises that is not covered by this Section, by any supplementing

rules adopted by the Committee or by working procedures adopted pursuant to paragraph 10, the

relevant division of the Appeal Tribunal may adopt an appropriate procedure that is compatible with

those provisions.

12. A division of the Appeal Tribunal shall make every effort to take any decision by consensus.

In case that a decision cannot be reached by consensus, the division of the Appeal Tribunal shall

render its decision by a majority of votes of all its Members. Opinions expressed by individual

Members of a division of Appeal Tribunal shall be anonymous.

13. The Members of the Appeal Tribunal shall be available at all times and at short notice and

shall stay abreast of other dispute settlement activities under this Agreement.

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14. The Members of the Appeal Tribunal shall be paid a monthly retainer fee to be determined by

decision of the Committee. In addition, the President of the Appeal Tribunal and the Vice-President,

where applicable, shall receive a daily fee equivalent to the fee determined pursuant to paragraph 16

for each day worked in fulfilling the functions of President of the Appeal Tribunal pursuant to this

Section.

15. The retainer fee and the daily fee referred to in paragraph 14 shall be paid by both Parties

taking into account their respective level of development into an account managed by the

Secretariat of ICSID. In the event that one Party fails to pay the retainer fee or the daily fee, the

other Party may elect to pay instead. Any such arrears will remain payable, with appropriate

interests.

16. Upon entry into force of this Agreement, the Committee shall adopt a decision determining

the amount of the other fees and expenses of the Members of a division of the Appeal Tribunal.

Such fees and expenses shall be allocated by the Tribunal, or where applicable by the Appeal

Tribunal, among the disputing parties in accordance with paragraph 4 of Article 3.53 (Provisional

Award).

17. Upon decision by the Committee, the retainer fee, the daily fee and the other fees and

expenses may be permanently transformed into a regular salary. In such a case, the Members of the

Appeal Tribunal shall serve on a full-time basis and they shall not be permitted to engage in any

occupation, whether gainful or not, unless exemption is exceptionally granted by the President of

the Appeal Tribunal. The Committee shall fix their remuneration and related organisational matters.

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18. The Secretariat of ICSID shall act as Secretariat for the Appeal Tribunal and provide it with

appropriate support. The expenses for such support shall be allocated by the Appeal Tribunal

among the disputing parties in accordance with paragraph 4 of Article 3.53 (Provisional Award).

ARTICLE 3.40

Ethics

1. The Members of the Tribunal and of the Appeal Tribunal shall be chosen from persons whose

independence is beyond doubt. They shall not be affiliated with any government. **[1]** They shall not

take instructions from any government or organisation with regard to matters relating to the dispute.

They shall not participate in the consideration of any disputes that would create a direct or indirect

conflict of interest. In doing so, they shall comply with Annex 11 (Code of Conduct for Members of

the Tribunal, Members of the Appeal Tribunal and Mediators). In addition, upon appointment, they

shall refrain from acting as counsel or as party-appointed experts or witnesses in any pending or

new investment protection dispute under this or any other agreement or under domestic laws and

regulations.

**1** For greater certainty, the fact that a person receives an income from the government, or was
formerly employed by the government, or has family relationship with a person who receives
an income from the government, does not in itself render that person ineligible.

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2. If a disputing party considers that a Member has a conflict of interest, it shall send a notice of

challenge to the appointment to the President of the Tribunal or to the President of the Appeal

Tribunal, accordingly. The notice of challenge shall be sent within 15 days of the date on which the

composition of the division of the Tribunal or of the Appeal Tribunal has been communicated to the

disputing party, or within 15 days of the date on which the relevant facts came to its knowledge if

they could not have reasonably been known at the time of composition of the division. The notice of

challenge shall state the grounds for the challenge.

3. If, within 15 days of the date of the notice of challenge, the challenged Member has elected

not to resign from that division, the President of the Tribunal or the President of the Appeal

Tribunal, accordingly, shall, after hearing the disputing parties and after providing the Member an

opportunity to submit any observations, issue a decision within 45 days of the receipt of the notice

of challenge and notify forthwith the disputing parties and other Members of the division.

4. Challenges against the appointment of the President of the Tribunal to a division shall be

decided by the President of the Appeal Tribunal and _vice versa_ .

5. Upon a reasoned recommendation from the President of the Appeal Tribunal, or on their joint

initiative, the Parties may by decision of the Committee decide to remove a Member from the

Tribunal or a Member from the Appeal Tribunal where the behaviour of this Member is inconsistent

with the obligations set out in paragraph 1 and incompatible with his continued membership of the

Tribunal or the Appeal Tribunal. If the President of the Appeal Tribunal is alleged of such

behaviour, the President of the Tribunal shall submit the reasoned recommendation. Paragraph 2 of

Article 3.38 (Tribunal) and paragraph 3 of Article 3.39 (Appeal Tribunal) shall apply

_mutatis mutandis_ for filling vacancies that may arise pursuant to this paragraph.

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ARTICLE 3.41

Multilateral Dispute Settlement Mechanisms

The Parties shall enter into negotiations for an international agreement providing for a multilateral

investment tribunal in combination with, or separate from, a multilateral appellate mechanism

applicable to disputes under this Agreement. The Parties may consequently agree on the

non-application of relevant parts of this Section. The Committee may adopt a decision specifying

any necessary transitional arrangements.

SUB-SECTION 5

CONDUCT OF PROCEEDINGS

ARTICLE 3.42

Applicable Law and Rules of Interpretation

1. The Tribunal and the Appeal Tribunal shall decide whether the measures subject to the claim

are in breach of with the provisions of Chapter 2 (Investment Protection) as alleged by the claimant.

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2. When rendering its decisions, the Tribunal and the Appeal Tribunal shall apply the provisions

of Chapter 2 (Investment Protection) and other provisions of this Agreement, as applicable, as well

as other rules or principles of international law applicable between the Parties, and take into

consideration, as matter of fact, any relevant domestic law of the disputing Party.

3. For greater certainty, the Tribunal and the Appeal Tribunal shall be bound by the

interpretation given to the domestic law by the courts or authorities which are competent to interpret

the relevant domestic law, and any meaning given to the relevant domestic law made by the

Tribunal and the Appeal Tribunal shall not be binding upon the courts and the authorities of either

Party. The Tribunal and the Appeal Tribunal does not have jurisdiction to determine the legality of

a measure, alleged to constitute a breach of this Agreement, under the domestic laws and

regulations of the disputing Party.

4. The Tribunal and the Appeal Tribunal shall interpret this Agreement in accordance with

customary rules of interpretation of public international law, as codified in the _Vienna Convention_

_on the Law of Treaties_, concluded at Vienna on 23 May 1969.

5. When serious concerns arise as regards issues of interpretation which may affect matters

relating to this Section, the Committee may adopt interpretations of provisions of this Agreement.

Any such interpretation shall be binding upon the Tribunal and the Appeal Tribunal. The

Committee may decide that an interpretation shall have binding effect from a specific date.

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ARTICLE 3.43

Anti-Circumvention

For greater certainty, the Tribunal shall decline jurisdiction where the dispute had arisen, or was

foreseeable on the basis of a high degree of probability, at the time when the claimant acquired

ownership or control of the investment subject to the dispute and the Tribunal determines, on the

basis of the facts of the case, that the claimant has acquired ownership or control of the investment

for the main purpose of submitting the claim under this Section. The possibility to decline

jurisdiction in such circumstances is without prejudice to other jurisdictional objections which

could be entertained by the Tribunal.

ARTICLE 3.44

Preliminary Objections

1. The respondent may file an objection that a claim is manifestly without legal merit, no later

than 30 days after the constitution of the division of the Tribunal pursuant to paragraph 7 of

Article 3.38 (Tribunal), and in any event before the first session of the division of the Tribunal, or

30 days after the respondent became aware of the facts on which the objection is based.

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2. The respondent shall specify as precisely as possible the basis for the objection.

3. The Tribunal, after giving the disputing parties an opportunity to present their observations on

the objection, shall, at the first meeting of the division of the Tribunal or promptly thereafter, issue a

decision or provisional award on the objection, stating the grounds therefor. If the objection is

received after the first meeting of the division of the Tribunal, the Tribunal shall issue such decision

or provisional award as soon as possible, and no later than 120 days after the objection was filed.

When issuing the decision the Tribunal shall assume the alleged facts to be true, and may also

consider any relevant facts not in dispute.

4. The decision of the Tribunal shall be without prejudice to the right of a disputing party to

object, pursuant to Article 3.45 (Claims Unfounded as a Matter of Law) or in the course of the

proceedings, to the legal merits of a claim and without prejudice to a Tribunal's authority to address

other objections as a preliminary question. For greater certainty, such objection may include an

objection that the dispute or any ancillary claim is not within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal or, for

other reasons, is not within the competence of the Tribunal.

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ARTICLE 3.45

Claims Unfounded as a Matter of Law

1. Without prejudice to the Tribunal's authority to address other objections as a preliminary

question, such as an objection that the dispute or any ancillary claim is not within the jurisdiction of

the Tribunal or, for other reasons, is not within the competence of the Tribunal, and without

prejudice to a respondent's right to raise any such objections at any appropriate time, the Tribunal

shall decide as a preliminary question any objection by the respondent that, as a matter of law, a

claim, or any part thereof, submitted under this Section is not a claim for which an award in favour

of the claimant may be made under Article 3.53 (Provisional Award), even if the facts alleged were

assumed to be true. The Tribunal may also consider any relevant facts not in dispute.

2. An objection under paragraph 1 shall be submitted to the Tribunal as soon as possible after

the division of the Tribunal is constituted, and in no event later than the date the Tribunal fixes for

the respondent to submit its counter-memorial or statement of defence or, in the case of an

amendment to the claim, the date the Tribunal fixes for the respondent to submit its response to the

amendment. This objection shall not be submitted as long as proceedings under

Article 3.44 (Preliminary Objections) are pending, unless the Tribunal grants leave to file an

objection under this Article, after having taken due account of the circumstances of the case.

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3. Upon receipt of an objection under paragraph 1, and unless it considers the objection

manifestly unfounded, the Tribunal shall suspend any proceedings on the merits, establish a

schedule for considering the objection consistent with any schedule it has established for

considering any other preliminary question, and issue a decision or provisional award on the

objection, stating the grounds therefore.

ARTICLE 3.46

Transparency of Proceedings

1. The UNCITRAL Transparency Rules apply to disputes under this Section, subject to

paragraphs 2 to 8.

2. The request for consultations under Article 3.30 (Consultations), the notice of intent under

paragraph 1 of Article 3.32 (Notice of Intent to Submit a Claim), the determination under

paragraph 2 of Article 3.32 (Notice of Intent to Submit a Claim), the notice of challenge and the

decision on this challenge under Article 3.40 (Ethics) and the request for consolidation under

Article 3.59 (Consolidation) shall be included in the list of documents referred to in Article 3(1) of

the UNCITRAL Transparency Rules.

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3. Subject to Article 7 of the UNCITRAL Transparency Rules, the Tribunal may decide, on its

own initiative or upon request from any person, and after consultation with the disputing parties,

whether and how to make available any other documents provided to, or issued by, the Tribunal not

falling within Article 3(1) and 3(2) of the UNCITRAL Transparency Rules. This may include

exhibits when the respondent so agrees.

4. Notwithstanding Article 2 of the UNCITRAL Transparency Rules, the Union or Viet Nam, as

the case may be, shall, after receiving the relevant documents pursuant to paragraph 2 of this

Article, promptly transmit those documents to the non-disputing Party and make them publicly

available, subject to the redaction of confidential or protected information **[1]** .

5. Documents referred to in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 may be made publicly available by

communication to the repository referred to in the UNCITRAL Transparency Rules or otherwise.

6. No later than three years after the date of entry into force of this Agreement, the Committee

shall review the operation of paragraph 3. Upon request of either Party, the Committee may adopt a

decision pursuant to subparagraph 5(c) of Article 4.1 (Committee) stipulating of Article 3(3) of the

UNCITRAL Transparency Rules shall apply instead of paragraph 3 of this Article.

**1** For greater certainty, confidential or protected information, as defined in Article 7(2) of the
UNCITRAL Transparency Rules, includes classified government information.

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7. Subject to any decision by the Tribunal on an objection regarding the designation of

information claimed to be confidential or protected information, neither the disputing parties nor the

Tribunal shall disclose to any non-disputing Party or to the public any protected information where

the disputing party that provided the information clearly designates it as such. **[1]**

8. A disputing party may disclose to other persons in connection with proceedings, including

witnesses and experts, such unredacted documents as it considers necessary in the course of

proceedings under this Section. However, the disputing party shall ensure that those persons protect

the confidential or protected information in those documents.

**1** For greater certainty, where a disputing party that submitted the information decides to
withdraw all or parts of its submission containing such information in accordance with
Article 7(4) of the UNCITRAL Transparency Rules, the other disputing party shall, whenever
necessary, resubmit complete and redacted documents which either remove the information
withdrawn by the disputing party that first submitted the information or redesignate the
information consistent with the designation of the disputing party that first submitted the
information.

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ARTICLE 3.47

Interim Decisions

The Tribunal may order an interim measure of protection to preserve the rights of a disputing party

or to ensure that the Tribunal's jurisdiction is made fully effective, including an order to preserve

evidence in the possession or control of a disputing party or to protect the Tribunal's jurisdiction.

The Tribunal may neither order the seizure of assets nor prevent the application of the treatment

alleged to constitute a breach. For the purposes of this paragraph, an order includes a

recommendation.

ARTICLE 3.48

Security for Costs

1. For greater certainty, the Tribunal may, upon request, order the claimant to provide security

for all or a part of the costs if there are reasonable grounds to believe that the claimant risks not

being able to honour a possible decision on costs issued against the claimant.

2. If the security for costs is not provided in full within 30 days of the Tribunal's order, or within

any other time period set by the Tribunal, the Tribunal shall so inform the disputing parties. The

Tribunal may order the suspension or termination of the proceedings.

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ARTICLE 3.49

Discontinuance

If the claimant, following the submission of a claim under this Section, fails to take any steps in the

proceedings during 180 consecutive days or such periods as the disputing parties may agree, the

claimant shall be deemed to have withdrawn its claim and to have discontinued the proceedings.

The Tribunal shall, at the request of the respondent and after notice to the disputing parties, take

note of the discontinuance of the proceedings in an order and issue an award on costs. After such an

order has been rendered the authority of the Tribunal shall lapse. The claimant may not

subsequently submit a claim on the same matter.

ARTICLE 3.50

Language of the Proceedings

1. The disputing parties shall agree on the language to be used in the proceedings.

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2. If the disputing parties have not reached an agreement pursuant to paragraph 1 within 30 days

of the constitution of the division of the Tribunal pursuant to paragraph 7 of Article 3.38 (Tribunal),

the Tribunal shall determine the language to be used in the proceedings. The Tribunal shall make its

determination after consulting the disputing parties with a view to ensuring the economic efficiency

of the proceedings and ensuring that the determination does not impose any unnecessary burden on

the resources of the disputing parties and of the Tribunal. **[1]**

ARTICLE 3.51

The Non-Disputing Party

1. The respondent shall, within 30 days of the receipt of any documents referred in

subparagraphs (a) and (b) or promptly after any dispute concerning confidential or protected

information has been resolved, provide the non-disputing Party:

(a) the request for consultations referred to in Article 3.30 (Consultations), the notice of intent

under paragraph 1 of Article 3.32 (Notice of Intent to Submit a Claim), the determination

under paragraph 2 of Article 3.32 (Notice of Intent to Submit a Claim) and the claim referred

to in Article 3.33 (Submission of a Claim); and

**1** In considering the economic efficiency of the proceedings, the Tribunal should take into
account the costs of the disputing parties and of the Tribunal in processing case-law and legal
writings which will potentially be submitted by the disputing parties.

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(b) upon request, any documents that are made available to the public in accordance with

Article 3.46 (Transparency of Proceedings).

2. The non-disputing Party has the right to attend hearings held under this Section and to make

oral representations relating to the interpretation of this Agreement.

ARTICLE 3.52

Expert Reports

The Tribunal, at the request of a disputing party or, after consulting the disputing parties, on its own

initiative, may appoint one or more experts to report to it in writing on any factual issue concerning

environmental, health, safety, or other matters raised by a disputing party in the proceedings.

ARTICLE 3.53

Provisional Award

1. Where the Tribunal concludes that a measure in dispute breaches any of the provisions of

Chapter 2 (Investment Protection), the Tribunal may, on the basis of a request from the claimant

and after hearing the disputing parties, award, separately or in combination, only:

(a) monetary damages and any applicable interest; and

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(b) restitution of property, in which case the award shall provide that the respondent may pay

monetary damages and any applicable interest in lieu of restitution, determined in a manner

consistent with the relevant provisions of Chapter 2 (Investment Protection).

Where the claim was submitted on behalf of a locally-established company, any award under this

paragraph shall provide that:

(a) monetary damages and any applicable interest shall be paid to the locally established

company; and

(b) any restitution shall be made to the locally established company.

The Tribunal may not order the repeal of the treatment concerned.

2. Monetary damages shall not be greater than the loss suffered by the claimant or, as applicable,

by its locally established company, as a result of the breach of any of the provisions of

Chapter 2 (Investment Protection), reduced by any prior damages or compensation already provided

by the Party concerned. For greater certainty, when an investor submits a claim on its own behalf,

the investor may recover only loss or damage that the investor has incurred with regards to the

covered investment of that investor.

3. The Tribunal may not award punitive damages.

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4. The Tribunal shall order that the costs of the proceedings **[1]** be borne by the unsuccessful

disputing party. In exceptional circumstances, the Tribunal may apportion costs between the

disputing parties if it determines that apportionment is appropriate in the circumstances of the case.

Other reasonable costs, including reasonable costs of legal representation and assistance, shall be

borne by the unsuccessful disputing party, unless the Tribunal determines that such apportionment

is unreasonable in the circumstances of the case. Where only some parts of the claims have been

successful the costs shall be adjusted, proportionately, to the number or extent of the successful

parts of the claims. The Appeal Tribunal shall deal with costs in accordance with this Article.

5. The Committee may adopt supplementing rules on fees for the purposes of determining the

maximum amount of costs of legal representation and assistance that may be borne by specific

categories of unsuccessful disputing parties. Such supplementing rules shall take into account the

financial resources of a claimant who is a natural person or a small or medium-sized enterprise. The

Committee shall endeavour to adopt such supplementing rules no later than one year after the date

of entry into force of this Agreement.

6. The Tribunal shall issue a provisional award within 18 months of the date of submission of

the claim. If that deadline cannot be respected, the Tribunal shall adopt a decision to that effect,

which shall specify the reasons for such delay.

**1** For greater certainty, the term "costs of the proceedings" includes (a) the reasonable costs of
expert advice and of other assistance required by the Tribunal, and (b) the reasonable travel
and other expenses of witnesses to the extent such expenses are approved by the Tribunal.

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ARTICLE 3.54

Appeal Procedure

1. Either disputing party may appeal a provisional award before the Appeal Tribunal, within 90

days of its issuance. The grounds for appeal are:

(a) that the Tribunal has erred in the interpretation or application of the applicable law;

(b) that the Tribunal has manifestly erred in the appreciation of the facts, including the

appreciation of relevant domestic law; or

(c) those provided for in Article 52 of the ICSID Convention, in so far as they are not covered by

subparagraphs (a) and (b).

2. The Appeal Tribunal shall dismiss the appeal where it finds that the appeal is unfounded. It

may also dismiss the appeal on an expedited basis where it is clear that the appeal is manifestly

unfounded.

3. If the Appeal Tribunal finds that the appeal is well founded, the decision of the Appeal

Tribunal shall modify or reverse the legal findings and conclusions in the provisional award in

whole or part. Its decision shall specify precisely how it has modified or reversed the relevant

findings and conclusions of the Tribunal.

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4. Where the facts established by the Tribunal so permit, the Appeal Tribunal shall apply its own

legal findings and conclusions to such facts and render a final decision. If that is not possible, it

shall refer the matter back to the Tribunal.

5. As a general rule, the appeal proceedings shall not exceed 180 days calculated from the date

on which a party to the dispute formally notifies its decision to appeal to the date on which the

Appeal Tribunal issues its decision. When the Appeal Tribunal considers that it cannot issue its

decision within 180 days, it shall inform the disputing parties in writing of the reasons for the delay

together with an estimate of the period within which it will issue its decision. Unless exceptional

circumstances so require, the proceedings shall in no case exceed 270 days.

6. A disputing party lodging an appeal shall provide security, including the costs of appeal, as

well as a reasonable amount to be determined by the Appeal Tribunal in light of the circumstances

of the case.

7. Articles 3.37 (Third-Party Funding), 3.46 (Transparency of Proceedings), 3.47 (Interim

Decisions), 3.49 (Discontinuance), 3.51 (The Non-Disputing Party), Article 3.53 (Provisional

Award) and 3.56 (Indemnification or Other Compensation) apply in respect of the appeal

procedure, _mutatis mutandis_ .

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ARTICLE 3.55

Final Award

1. A provisional award issued pursuant to this Section shall become final if neither disputing

party has appealed the provisional award pursuant to paragraph 1 of Article 3.54 (Appeal

Procedure).

2. When a provisional award has been appealed and the Appeal Tribunal has dismissed the

appeal pursuant to paragraph 2 of Article 3.54 (Appeal Procedure), the provisional award shall

become final on the date of dismissal of the appeal by the Appeal Tribunal.

3. When a provisional award has been appealed and the Appeal Tribunal has rendered a final

decision, the provisional award as modified or reversed by the Appeal Tribunal shall become final

on the date of the issuance of the final decision of the Appeal Tribunal.

4. When a provisional award has been appealed and the Appeal Tribunal has modified or

reversed the legal findings and conclusions of the provisional award and referred the matter back to

the Tribunal, the Tribunal shall, after hearing the disputing parties if appropriate, revise its

provisional award to reflect the findings and conclusions of the Appeal Tribunal. The Tribunal shall

be bound by the findings made by the Appeal Tribunal. The Tribunal shall seek to issue its revised

award within 90 days of receiving the decision of the Appeal Tribunal. The revised provisional

award will become final 90 days after its issuance.

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5. For the purposes of this Section, the term "final award" includes any final decision of the

Appeal Tribunal rendered pursuant to paragraph 4 of Article 3.54 (Appeal Procedure).

ARTICLE 3.56

Indemnification or Other Compensation

The Tribunal shall not accept as a valid defence, counterclaim, set-off or similar claim the fact that

the investor has received or will receive indemnification or other compensation pursuant to an

insurance or a guarantee contract in respect of all or part of the compensation sought in a dispute

initiated pursuant to this Section.

ARTICLE 3.57

Enforcement of Final Awards

1. Final awards issued pursuant to this Section:

(a) shall be binding between the disputing parties and in respect of that particular case; and

(b) shall not be subject to appeal, review, set aside, annulment or any other remedy.

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2. Each Party shall recognise a final award rendered pursuant to this Section as binding and

enforce the pecuniary obligation within its territory as if it were a final judgment of a court in that

Party.

3. Notwithstanding paragraphs 1 and 2, during the period referred to in paragraph 4, the

recognition and enforcement of a final award in respect of a dispute where Viet Nam is the

respondent shall be conducted pursuant to the New York Convention of 1958. During that time,

subparagraph 1(b) of this Article and subparagraph 3(b) of Article 3.36 (Consent) do not apply to

disputes where Viet Nam is the respondent.

4. In respect of a final award where Viet Nam is the respondent, subparagraph 1(b) and

paragraph 2 apply after a period of five years following the date of entry into force of this

Agreement, or a longer period determined by the Committee should the conditions warrant it.

5. The execution of the award shall be governed by the laws concerning the execution of

judgments or awards in force where such execution is sought.

6. For greater certainty, Article 4.14 (No Direct Effect) shall not prevent the recognition,

execution and enforcement of awards rendered pursuant to this Section.

7. For the purposes of Article 1 of the New York Convention of 1958, final awards issued

pursuant to this Section shall be deemed to be arbitral awards and to relate to claims arising out of a

commercial relationship or transaction.

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8. For greater certainty and subject to subparagraph 1(b), where a claim has been submitted to

dispute settlement pursuant to subparagraph 2(a) of Article 3.33 (Submission of a Claim), a final

award issued pursuant to this Section shall qualify as an award under Section 6 of Chapter IV of the

ICSID Convention.

ARTICLE 3.58

Role of the Parties to the Agreement

1. The Parties shall not give diplomatic protection, or bring an international claim, in respect of

a dispute submitted under this Section, unless the other Party has failed to abide by and comply

with the award rendered in such dispute. Diplomatic protection, for the purposes of this paragraph,

shall not include informal diplomatic exchanges for the sole purpose of facilitating a settlement of

the dispute.

2. Paragraph 1 shall not exclude the possibility of dispute settlement under

Section A (Resolution of Disputes between Parties) in respect of a measure of general application if

that measure is alleged to have breached the Agreement and in respect of which a dispute has been

initiated with regard to a specific investment pursuant to Article 3.33 (Submission of a Claim). This

is without prejudice to Article 3.51 (The Non-Disputing Party) or Article 5 of the UNCITRAL

Transparency Rules.

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ARTICLE 3.59

Consolidation

1. In case that two or more claims submitted under this Section have a question of law or fact in

common and arise out of the same events and circumstances, the respondent may submit to the

President of the Tribunal a request for the consolidation of such claims or part thereof. The request

shall stipulate:

(a) the names and addresses of the disputing parties to the claims sought to be consolidated;

(b) the scope of the consolidation sought; and

(c) the grounds for the request.

The respondent shall deliver the request to each claimant in a claim which the respondent seeks to

consolidate.

2. If all disputing parties to the claims sought to be consolidated agree to the consolidation of the

claims, the disputing parties shall submit a joint request to the President of the Tribunal pursuant to

paragraph 1. The President of the Tribunal shall, after receipt of such joint request, constitute a new

division of the Tribunal pursuant to Article 3.38 (Tribunal) (hereinafter referred to as the

"consolidating division") which shall have jurisdiction over all or part of the claims which are

subject to the joint consolidation request.

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3. If the disputing parties referred to in paragraph 2 have not reached an agreement on

consolidation within 30 days of the receipt of the request for consolidation referred to in

paragraph 1 by the last claimant to receive it, the President of the Tribunal shall constitute a

consolidating division pursuant to Article 3.38 (Tribunal). The consolidating division shall assume

jurisdiction over all or part of the claims if, after considering the views of the disputing parties, it

decides that doing so would best serve the interest of a fair and efficient resolution of the claims,

including the interest of consistency of awards.

4. The consolidating division shall conduct its proceedings under the dispute settlement rules

chosen by agreement of the claimants from those referred to in paragraph 2 of

Article 3.33 (Submission of a Claim).

5. If the claimants have not agreed upon the dispute settlement rules within 30 days of the date

of receipt of the request for consolidation by the last claimant to receive it, the consolidating

division shall conduct its proceedings in accordance with the arbitration rules of UNCITRAL.

6. Divisions of the Tribunal constituted under Article 3.38 (Tribunal) shall cede jurisdiction in

relation to the claims, or parts thereof, over which the consolidating division has jurisdiction and the

proceedings of such divisions shall be stayed or adjourned, as appropriate. The award of the

consolidating division in relation to the parts of the claims over which it has assumed jurisdiction

shall be binding on the divisions which have jurisdiction over the remainder of the claims, as of the

date the award becomes final pursuant to Article 3.55 (Final Award).

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7. A claimant may withdraw the claim or a part thereof subject to consolidation from dispute

settlement proceedings under this Article and such claim or part thereof may not be resubmitted

under Article 3.33 (Submission of a Claim).

8. At the request of the respondent, the consolidating division, on the same basis and with the

same effect as set out in paragraphs 3 and 6, may decide whether to assume jurisdiction over all or

part of a claim falling within the scope of paragraph 1 which is submitted after the initiation of

consolidation proceedings.

9. At the request of one of the claimants, the consolidating division may take appropriate

measures in order to preserve the confidentiality of protected information of that claimant _vis-à-vis_

other claimants. Such measures may include the submission of redacted versions of documents

containing protected information to the other claimants or arrangements to hold parts of the hearing

in private.

CHAPTER 4

INSTITUTIONAL, GENERAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS

ARTICLE 4.1

Committee

1. The Parties hereby establish a Committee comprising representatives of the EU Party and

Viet Nam.

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2. The Committee shall meet once a year, unless otherwise decided by the Committee, or in

urgent cases at the request of either Party. The meetings of the Committee shall take place

alternately in the Union and Viet Nam, unless otherwise agreed by the Parties. The Committee shall

be co-chaired by the Minister of Planning and Investment of Viet Nam and the Member of the

European Commission responsible for trade, or their respective delegates. The Committee shall

agree on its meeting schedule and set its agenda.

3. The Committee shall:

(a) ensure the proper operation of this Agreement;

(b) supervise and facilitate the implementation and application of this Agreement, and further its

general aims;

(c) consider issues regarding this Chapter that are referred to it by a Party;

(d) examine difficulties which may arise in the implementation of Section B (Resolution of

Disputes between Investors and Parties) of Chapter 3 (Dispute Settlement);

(e) consider possible improvements of Section B (Resolution of Disputes between Investors and

Parties) of Chapter 3 (Dispute Settlement), in particular in the light of experience and

developments in other international fora;

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(f) upon request of either Party, examine the implementation of any mutually agreed solution as

regards a dispute under Section B (Resolution of Disputes between Investors and Parties) of

Chapter 3 (Dispute Settlement);

(g) examine draft working procedures drawn up by the President of the Tribunal or of the Appeal

Tribunal pursuant to paragraph 10 of Article 3.38 (Tribunal) and paragraph 10 of

Article 3.39 (Appeal Tribunal);

(h) without prejudice to Chapter 3 (Dispute Settlement), seek to solve problems which might

arise in areas covered by this Agreement, or resolve disputes that may arise regarding the

interpretation or application of this Agreement; and

(i) consider any other matter of interest relating to areas covered by this Agreement.

4. The Committee may, in accordance with the relevant provisions of this Agreement:

(a) communicate on issues falling under the scope of this Agreement with all interested parties,

including the private sector, social partners, and civil society organisations;

(b) consider and recommend to the Parties amendments to this Agreement or, in cases

specifically provided for in this Agreement, amend by decision provisions of this Agreement;

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(c) adopt interpretations of the provisions of this Agreement, including pursuant to paragraph 4 of

Article 3.42 (Applicable Law and Rules of Interpretation) which shall be binding on the

Parties and all bodies set up under this Agreement, including arbitration panels referred to in

Section A (Resolution of Disputes between Parties) of Chapter 3 (Dispute Settlement) and the

tribunals established under Section B (Resolution of Disputes between Investors and Parties)

of Chapter 3 (Dispute Settlement);

(d) adopt decisions or make recommendations as envisaged by this Agreement;

(e) adopt its own rules of procedure;

(f) take any other action in the exercise of its functions in accordance with this Agreement.

5. The Committee may, in accordance with the relevant provisions of this Agreement and after

completion of the respective legal requirements and procedures of the Parties:

(a) adopt decisions to appoint the Members of the Tribunal and the Members of the Appeal

Tribunal pursuant to paragraph 2 of Article 3.38 (Tribunal) and paragraph 3 of

Article 3.39 (Appeal Tribunal); increase or decrease the number of Members pursuant to

paragraph 3 of Article 3.38 (Tribunal) and paragraph 4 of Article 3.39 (Appeal Tribunal); and

remove a Member from the Tribunal or the Appeal Tribunal pursuant to paragraph 5 of

Article 3.40 (Ethics);

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(b) adopt and subsequently amend rules supplementing the applicable dispute settlement rules as

referred to in paragraph 4 of Article 3.33 (Submission of a Claim); such rules and

amendments shall be binding on the Tribunal and the Appeal Tribunal;

(c) adopt a decision stipulating that Article 3(3) of the UNCITRAL Transparency Rules shall

apply instead of paragraph 3 of Article 3.46 (Transparency of Proceedings);

(d) fix the amount of the retainer fee referred to in paragraph 14 of Article 3.38 (Tribunal) and

paragraph 14 of Article 3.39 (Appeal Tribunal) as well as the other fees and expenses of the

Members of a division of the Appeal Tribunal and of the Presidents of the Tribunal and of the

Appeal Tribunal pursuant to paragraphs 14 and 16 of Article 8.28 (Tribunal) and

paragraphs 14 and 16 of Article 3.39 (Appeal Tribunal);

(e) transform the retainer fee and other fees and expenses of the Members of the Tribunal and of

the Appeal Tribunal into a regular salary pursuant to paragraph 17 of Article 3.38 (Tribunal)

and paragraph 17 of Article 3.39 (Appeal Tribunal);

(f) adopt or reject the draft working procedures of the Tribunal or of the Appeal Tribunal

pursuant to paragraph 10 of Article 3.38 (Tribunal) and paragraph 10 of Article 3.39 (Appeal

Tribunal);

(g) adopt a decision specifing any necessary transitional arrangements pursuant to

Article 3.41 (Multilateral Dispute Settlement Mechanisms); and

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(h) adopt supplemental rules on fees pursuant to paragraph 5 of Article 3.53 (Provisional Award).

ARTICLE 4.2

Decision-Making by the Committee

1. The Committee shall, for the purpose of attaining the objectives of this Agreement, have the

power to take decisions, where provided for in this Agreement. The decisions taken shall be binding

on the Parties, which shall take the measures necessary for the implementation of those decisions.

2. The Committee may make appropriate recommendations to the Parties.

3. All decisions and recommendations of the Committee shall be made by mutual consent.

ARTICLE 4.3

Amendments

1. The Parties may amend this Agreement. An amendment shall enter into force after the Parties

exchange written notifications certifying that they have completed their respective applicable legal

procedures as provided for in Article 4.9 (Entry into Force).

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2. Notwithstanding paragraph 1 and where provided for in this Agreement, the Parties may

adopt in the Committee a decision amending this Agreement. This is without prejudice to the

completion of each Party's applicable legal procedures.

ARTICLE 4.4

Taxation

1. Nothing in this Agreement shall affect the rights and obligations of either the Union or one of

its Member States or Viet Nam under any tax agreement between any Member State of the Union

and Viet Nam. In the event of any inconsistency between this Agreement and any tax agreement,

that tax agreement shall prevail to the extent of the inconsistency.

2. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as preventing the Parties from distinguishing, in

the application of the relevant provisions of their fiscal legislation, between taxpayers who are not

in the same situation, in particular with regard to their place of residence or with regard to the place

where their capital is invested.

3. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as preventing the adoption or enforcement of

any measure aimed at preventing the avoidance or evasion of taxes pursuant to the tax provisions of

agreements to avoid double taxation or other tax arrangements or domestic fiscal legislation.

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ARTICLE 4.5

Prudential Carve-Out

1. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as preventing a Party from adopting or

maintaining measures for prudential reasons, such as:

(a) the protection of investors, depositors, policy-holders or persons to whom a fiduciary duty is

owed by a financial service supplier; or

(b) ensuring the integrity and stability of a Party's financial system.

2. The measures referred to in paragraph 1 shall not be more burdensome than necessary to

achieve their aim.

3. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as requiring a Party to disclose information

relating to the affairs and accounts of individual consumers or any confidential or proprietary

information in the possession of public entities.

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ARTICLE 4.6

General Exceptions

Subject to the requirement that such measures are not applied in a manner which would constitute a

means of arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination between countries where like conditions prevail,

or a disguised restriction on covered investment, nothing in Articles 2.3 (National Treatment) and

2.4 (Most-Favoured-Nation Treatment) shall be construed as preventing the adoption or

enforcement by any Party of measures:

(a) necessary to protect public security or public morals or to maintain public order;

(b) necessary to protect human, animal or plant life or health;

(c) relating to the conservation of exhaustible natural resources if such measures are applied in

conjunction with restrictions on domestic investors or on the domestic supply or consumption

of services;

(d) necessary for the protection of national treasures of artistic, historic or archaeological value;

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(e) necessary to secure compliance with laws or regulations which are not inconsistent with

Articles 2.3 (National Treatment) and 2.4 (Most-Favoured-Nation Treatment) including those

relating to:

(i) the prevention of deceptive and fraudulent practices or to deal with the effects of a

default on contracts;

(ii) the protection of the privacy of individuals in relation to the processing and

dissemination of personal data and the protection of confidentiality of individual records

and accounts; or

(iii) safety;

or

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(f) inconsistent with paragraph 1 of Article 2.3 (National Treatment) provided that the difference

in treatment is aimed at ensuring the effective or equitable imposition or collection of direct

taxes in respect of economic activities or investors of the other Party **[1]** .

**1** Measures that are aimed at ensuring the equitable or effective imposition or collection of
direct taxes include measures taken by a Party under its taxation system which:
(i) apply to non-resident investors and services suppliers in recognition of the fact that the
tax obligation of non-residents is determined with respect to taxable items sourced or
located in the Party's territory;
(ii) apply to non-residents in order to ensure the imposition or collection of taxes in the
Party's territory;
(iii) apply to non-residents or residents in order to prevent the avoidance or evasion of taxes,
including compliance measures;
(iv) apply to consumers of services supplied in or from the territory of another Party in order
to ensure the imposition or collection of taxes on such consumers derived from sources
in the Party's territory;
(v) distinguish investors and service suppliers subject to tax on worldwide taxable items
from other investors and service suppliers, in recognition of the difference in the nature
of the tax base between them; or
(vi) determine, allocate or apportion income, profit, gain, loss, deduction or credit of
resident persons or branches, or between related persons or branches of the same
person, in order to safeguard the Party's tax base.
Tax terms or concepts in point (f) and in this footnote are determined according to tax
definitions and concepts, or equivalent or similar definitions and concepts, under the domestic
laws and regulations of the Party taking the measure.

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ARTICLE 4.7

Specific Exceptions

Nothing in Chapter 2 (Investment Protection) shall apply to non-discriminatory measures of general

application taken by any public entity in pursuit of monetary policy or exchange rate policy. This

Article shall not affect a Party's obligations under Article 2.8 (Transfer).

ARTICLE 4.8

Security Exceptions

Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as:

(a) requiring a Party to furnish information, the disclosure of which it considers contrary to its

essential security interests;

(b) preventing a Party from taking any action which it considers necessary for the protection of its

essential security interests:

(i) connected with the production of or trade in arms, munitions and war materials and

relating to traffic in other goods and materials and to economic activities carried out

directly or indirectly for the purpose of provisioning a military establishment;

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(ii) relating to the supply of services carried out directly or indirectly for the purpose of

provisioning a military establishment;

(iii) relating to fissionable and fusionable materials or the materials from which they are

derived; or

(iv) taken in time of war or other emergency in international relations;

(c) preventing a Party from taking any action in pursuance of its obligations under the _Charter of_

_the United Nations_, done at San Francisco on 26 June 1945, for the purpose of maintaining

international peace and security.

ARTICLE 4.9

Application of Laws and Regulations

Article 2.8 (Transfers) shall not be construed as preventing a Party from applying in an equitable

and non-discriminatory manner, and in a way that would not constitute a disguised restriction on

investment, its laws and regulations relating to:

(a) bankruptcy, insolvency, bank recovery and resolution, the protection of the rights of creditors,

or the prudential supervision of financial institutions;

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(b) issuing of, trading or dealing in financial instruments;

(c) financial reporting or record keeping of transfers where necessary to assist law enforcement or

financial regulatory authorities;

(d) criminal or penal offenses, deceptive or fraudulent practices;

(e) ensuring the satisfaction of judgments in adjudicatory proceedings; or

(f) social security, public retirement or compulsory savings schemes.

ARTICLE 4.10

Temporary Safeguard Measures

In exceptional circumstances of serious difficulties for the operation of the Union's economic and

monetary union, or, in the case of Viet Nam, for the operation of the monetary and exchange rate

policy, or a threat thereof, the Party concerned may take safeguard measures that are strictly

necessary with regard to transfers for a period not exceeding one year.

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ARTICLE 4.11

Restrictions in Case of Balance of Payments or External Financial Difficulties

1. Where a Party experiences serious balance of payments or external financial difficulties, or a

threat thereof, it may adopt or maintain safeguard measures with regard to transfers, which shall:

(a) be non-discriminatory compared to third countries in like situations;

(b) not go beyond what is necessary to remedy the balance of payments or external financial

difficulties;

(c) be consistent with the _Articles of Agreement of the International Monetary Fund_ as

applicable;

(d) avoid unnecessary damage to the commercial, economic and financial interests of the other

Party; and

(e) be temporary and phased out progressively as the situation improves.

2. A Party having adopted or maintaining the measures referred to in paragraph 1 shall promptly

notify the other Party of them and present, as soon as possible, a time schedule for their removal.

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3. Where restrictions are adopted or maintained under paragraph 1, consultations shall be held

promptly in the Committee unless consultations are held in other fora. The consultations shall

assess the balance of payments or external financial difficulty that led to the respective measures,

taking into account, _inter alia_, such factors as:

(a) the nature and extent of the difficulties;

(b) the external economic and trading environment; or

(c) alternative corrective measures which may be available.

The consultations shall address the compliance of any restrictive measures with paragraph 1. All

relevant findings of statistical or factual nature presented by the International Monetary Fund shall

be accepted and conclusions shall take into account the assessment by the International Monetary

Fund of the balance of payments and the external financial situation of the Party concerned.

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ARTICLE 4.12

Disclosure of Information

1. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as requiring a Party to make available

confidential information, the disclosure of which would impede law enforcement or otherwise be

contrary to the public interest, or which would prejudice the legitimate commercial interests of

particular enterprises, public or private, except where a panel requires confidential information in

dispute settlement proceedings under Section A (Resolution of Disputes between Parties) of

Chapter 3 (Dispute Settlement). In such cases, the panel shall ensure that confidentiality is fully

protected.

2. When a Party submits to the Committee information which is considered as confidential under

its laws and regulations, the other Party shall treat that information as confidential, unless the

submitting Party agrees otherwise.

ARTICLE 4.13

Entry into Force

1. This Agreement shall be approved by the Parties in accordance with their respective

applicable legal procedures.

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2. This Agreement shall enter into force on the first day of the second month following the date

on which the Parties have notified each other of the completion of their applicable legal procedures

for the entry into force of this Agreement. The Parties may agree on another date.

3. Notifications shall be sent to the Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union and

to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam.

4. This Agreement may be provisionally applied if the Parties so agree. In this case the

Agreement shall apply from the first day of the month following the date on which the Union and

Viet Nam have notified each other of the completion of their applicable legal procedures for the

provisional application. The Parties may agree on another date.

5. In the event that certain provisions of this Agreement cannot be provisionally applied, the

Party which cannot undertake such provisional application shall notify the other Party of the

provisions which cannot be provisionally applied. Notwithstanding paragraph 4, provided the other

Party has completed the applicable legal procedures for the provisional application and does not

object to provisional application within 10 days of the notification that certain provisions cannot be

provisionally applied, the provisions of this Agreement which have not been notified shall be

provisionally applied from the first day of the month following the notification.

6. A Party may terminate the provisional application by written notification to the other Party.

Such termination shall take effect on the first day of the second month following the notification.

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7. Where this Agreement, or certain provisions thereof, is provisionally applied, the term "entry

into force of this Agreement" shall be understood to mean the date of provisional application. The

Committee and other bodies established under this Agreement may exercise their functions during

the provisional application of this Agreement. Any decisions adopted in the exercise of those

functions will only cease to be effective if the provisional application of this Agreement is

terminated and this Agreement does not enter into force.

ARTICLE 4.14

Duration

1. This Agreement shall be valid indefinitely.

2. The Union or Viet Nam may notify in writing the other Party of its intention to terminate this

Agreement. The termination shall take effect at the end of the sixth month after the notification.

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ARTICLE 4.15

Termination

In the event that this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Article 4.10 (Duration), the provisions of

Chapter 1 (Objectives and General Definitions), Articles 2.1 (Scope), 2.2 (Investment and

Regulatory Measures and Objectives) and 2.5 (Treatment of Investment) to 2.9 (Subrogation), the

relevant provisions of Chapter 4 and the provisions of Section B (Resolution of Disputes between

Investors and Parties) of Chapter 3 (Resolution of Disputes between Investors and Parties) shall

continue to be effective for a further period of 15 years from the date of termination, with respect to

investments made before the date of termination of the present Agreement, unless the Parties agree

otherwise. This Article does not apply if the provisional application of this Agreement is terminated

and this Agreement does not enter into force.

ARTICLE 4.16

Fulfilment of Obligations

1. The Parties shall take any general or specific measures required to fulfil their obligations

under this Agreement. They shall ensure that the objectives set out in this Agreement are attained.

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2. If either Party considers that the other Party has committed a material breach of the

Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, it may take appropriate measures with respect to this

Agreement in accordance with Article 57 of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.

ARTICLE 4.17

Persons Exercising Delegated Government Authority

Unless otherwise specified in this Agreement, each Party shall ensure that any person, including a

state-owned enterprise, an enterprise granted special rights or privileges or a designated monopoly,

that has been delegated regulatory, administrative or other governmental authority by a Party at any

level of government as provided for in its domestic legislation, acts in accordance with the Party's

obligations as set out under this Agreement in the exercise of its authority.

ARTICLE 4.18

No Direct Effect

Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as conferring rights or imposing obligations on

persons, other than those created between the Parties under public international law. Viet Nam may

provide otherwise under its domestic law.

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ARTICLE 4.19

Annexes

The Annexes to this Agreement shall form an integral part thereof.

ARTICLE 4.20

Relations to other Agreements

1. Unless otherwise provided for in this Agreement, previous agreements between the Union or

its Member States and Viet Nam are not superseded or terminated by this Agreement.

2. This Agreement shall be part of the overall relations between the Union and its

Member States, of the one part, and Viet Nam, of the other part, as provided for in the Partnership

and Cooperation Agreement and it shall form part of the common institutional framework.

3. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as requiring a Party to act in a manner

inconsistent with their obligations under the _Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade_

_Organization_, done at Marrakesh on 15 April 1994.

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4. Upon the entry into force of this Agreement, the agreements between Member States of the

Union and Viet Nam listed in Annex 6 (List of Investment Agreements) including the rights and

obligations derived therefrom, shall be terminated and cease to have effect, and shall be replaced

and superseded by this Agreement. **[1]**

5. In the event of the provisional application pursuant to paragraph 4 of Article 4.13 (Entry into

Force) the application of the provisions of the agreements listed in Annex 6 (List of Investment

Agreements), as well as the rights and obligations derived therefrom, shall be suspended as of the

date of provisional application. **[2]** In the event that the provisional application of this Agreement is

terminated and this Agreement does not enter into force, the suspension shall cease and the

agreements listed in Annex 6 (List of Investment Agreements) shall have effect. **[3]**

6. Notwithstanding paragraphs 4 and 5, a claim may be submitted pursuant to an agreement

listed in Annex 6 (List of Investment Agreements), in accordance with the rules and procedures

established in that agreement, provided that:

(a) the claim arises from an alleged breach of that agreement that took place prior to the date of

suspension of the application of the agreement pursuant to paragraph 5 or, if the application of

the agreement is not suspended pursuant to paragraph 5, prior to the date of entry into force of

this Agreement; and

**1** The Parties share the understanding that the "sunset clauses" included in the agreements listed
in Annex 6 (List of Investment Agreements ) shall also cease to have effect.
**2** The Parties share the understanding that the "sunset clauses" included in the agreements listed
in Annex 6 (List of Investment Agreements ) shall also be suspended.
**3** For greater certainty, this sentence shall not bring into effect those agreements that have not
yet entered into force or were terminated in accordance with their own provisions.

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(b) no more than three years have elapsed from the date of suspension of the application of the

agreement pursuant to paragraph 5 or, if the application of the agreement is not suspended

pursuant to paragraph 5, from the date of entry into force of this Agreement until the date of

submission of the claim.

7. Notwithstanding paragraphs 4 and 5, if the provisional application of this Agreement is

terminated and this Agreement does not enter into force, a claim may be submitted pursuant to this

Agreement, in accordance with the rules and procedures established in this Agreement, provided

that:

(a) the claim arises from an alleged breach of this Agreement that took place during the period of

provisional application of this Agreement; and

(b) no more than three years have elapsed from the date of termination of the provisional

application until the date of submission of the claim.

8. For greater certainty, no claim may be submitted pursuant to this Agreement and in

accordance with the rules and procedures established therein if the claim arises from an alleged

breach of this Agreement that took place before the date of entry into force of this Agreement or,

where this Agreement is provisionally applied, before the date of provisional application.

9. For the purposes of this Article, the definition of "entry into force of this Agreement"

provided for in paragraph 7 of Article 4.13 (Entry into Force) does not apply.

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ARTICLE 4.21

Future Accessions to the Union

1. The Union shall notify Viet Nam of any request for accession of a third country to the Union.

2. During the negotiations between the Union and the candidate country seeking accession, the

Union shall endeavour to:

(a) provide, upon request of Viet Nam, and to the extent possible, information regarding any

matter covered by this Agreement; and

(b) take into account concerns expressed by Viet Nam.

3. The Union shall notify Viet Nam of the entry into force of any accession to the Union.

4. The Committee shall examine, sufficiently in advance of the date of accession of a third

country to the Union, any effects which that accession may have on this Agreement.

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5. Any new Member State of the Union shall accede to this Agreement from the date of its

accession to the Union by means of a clause to that effect in the act of accession to the Union. If the

act of accession to the Union does not provide for the automatic accession of the Member State of

the Union to this Agreement, the Member State of the Union concerned shall accede to this

Agreement by depositing an act of accession to this Agreement with the Secretary-General of the

Council of the Union and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam, or their respective

successors. The Parties may, by decision of the Committee, put in place any necessary adjustments

or transitional arrangements.

ARTICLE 4.22

Territorial Application

This Agreement shall apply:

(a) with respect to the EU Party, to the territories in which the _Treaty on European Union_ and the

_Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union_ are applied and under the conditions laid

down in those Treaties; and

(b) with respect to Viet Nam, to its territory.

References to "territory" in this Agreement shall be understood in this sense, except as otherwise

expressly provided for.

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ARTICLE 4.23

Authentic Texts

This Agreement is drawn up in duplicate in the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English,

Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish,

Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish and Vietnamese languages, each of

these texts being equally authentic.

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