(VOVworld) - Representatives from the 27 member countries of the European Union (EU), have approved the signing of a partnership and cooperation agreement (PCA) with Vietnam at the EU Foreign Ministers Meeting held on Monday in Brussels, Belgium.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and European Council President Jose Manuel Barroso

Consisting of 8 chapters and 65 articles, the PCA defines the basic principles of the Vietnam-EU relationships. It also specifies comprehensive cooperation in various fields, including trade, investment, justice, peacekeeping and international security. The PCA, which was initialled by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and European Council President José Manuel Barroso in October, 2010, after two years of negotiations, will take the Vietnam-EU relationship into a new period of greater cooperation.