  In the literature, necessary and sufficient conditions in terms of
variational inequalities are introduced to characterize minimizers of convex
set valued functions with values in a conlinear space. Similar results are
proved for a weaker concept of minimizers and weaker variational inequalities.
The implications are proved using scalarization techniques that eventually
provide original problems, not fully equivalent to the set-valued counterparts.
Therefore, we try, in the course of this note, to close the network among the
various notions proposed. More specifically, we prove that a minimizer is
always a weak minimizer, and a solution to the stronger variational inequality
always also a solution to the weak variational inequality of the same type. As
a special case we obtain a complete characterization of efficiency and weak
efficiency in vector optimization by set-valued variational inequalities and
their scalarizations. Indeed this might eventually prove the usefulness of the
set-optimization approach to renew the study of vector optimization.
