Bangkok – Acting Director-General of the Department of Trade Negotiations, Auramon Supthaweethum, says the country should swiftly strengthen economic ties with the European Union after the bloc, in December last year, resolved to restore all dimensions of relations with Thailand.
France and England are the most popular European countries among Thai agencies, due to existing cooperation with the Movement of the Enterprises of France and the Thai-UK Business Leadership Council.
Auramon added that other EU nations, such as Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy, are also target countries for strengthening relations. She reasoned that their advanced technology could support the Thailand 4.0 development agenda and cited their potential to invest in the Eastern Economic Corridor. On the other hand, Thailand also aims to conduct business trips and explore investment opportunities in the EU.
The EU is Thailand’s fourth largest trade partner, with 2016 trade value exceeding 40 billion US dollars. The top five trade partners within the EU include Germany, England, the Netherlands, France and Italy.
