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Sep 10 2009

Sweden, Denmark and EC join hands in the support of rule of law in Vietnam

Sweden and Denmark on 3 September 2009 signed an agreement on delegated cooperation for a new Justice Partnership Programme. The agreement is in line with the Paris Declaration, the Accra Agenda for Action, and the Hanoi Core Statement.

The Embassy of Sweden, under the agreement, will channel its support through the Embassy of Denmark.

Ms. Marie Ottosson, the Head of Development Cooperation Section at the Embassy of Sweden, says that this is the way Sweden shows its engagement in the rule of law process in Vietnam, an engagement Sweden has had for over a decade now. Strong and independent lawyers as well as a platform between state and non-state actors are the fundament and prerequisite of any democratic development.

The new Justice Partnership Programme is the result of harmonization among the European Commission (EC), Sweden and Denmark, and expected total support is EUR18.7 million for a five-year implementation from 2010 onwards. According to the agreement between Denmark and Sweden, Denmark will act on behalf of Sweden in the cooperation with the Government of Vietnam and other partners in the Programme. This is expected to reduce the administrative burden of the national partners as well as enhancing the efficiency of the donor’s development cooperation.

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