(VOVworld) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has called for an effective enforcement of the Environmental Protection Law to improve the people’s living conditions.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chairs a government meeting on environmental protection. (Photo: VOV)

At an online government meeting in Hanoi on Wednesday, he said that environmental pollution and violations of the law have severely damaged people’s livelihoods and caused social instability. The prime minister suggested that economic growth should be accompanied by environmental protection to ensure sustainable development in the long term. Mr. Phuc added that in recent years, the government has strictly punished cases of environmental pollution.

At the meeting, Mr. Phuc urged ministries, sectors, and local administrators to redouble their efforts to protect the environment and ensure harmony between the environment and socio-economic development.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha delivers a report. (Photo: VOV)

He noted that recent cases of environmental pollution had been caused by development models which gave priority to economic growth, the use of energy-consuming technology, and the abuse of natural resources. Phuc said: “We will not attract investment at all costs and will select investment projects which gave due attention to environmental protection. We will not grant permission to projects using old-fashioned technology and likely to damage the environment, especially in sensitive areas.”

The Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to adopt sanctions, not only financial, on environmental crimes and create guidelines in addressing environmental problems.