Armenia’s Country Report: Implementation of the ENP in 2010
On 25 May 2011, the European Commission and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy published the ‘Country Report’ for Armenia, about progress in the Implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy for the year 2010.
The document reports on Armenia’s performance in the different key sectors which are highlighted in the ENP Action Plan, and does not constitute a review of the country’s political and economic situation, as it is clearly stated at the beginning of the document.
EU national report: Armenia remains cautious in its macroeconomic policy
The activities connected with economic reforms, poverty elimination, social consolidation and environment protection under the program were limited amid the global economic crisis in 2009 and the first half of 2010, Novosti-Armenia News Agency cited the report it received from the EU Delegation in Armenia. There is also allusion to the $100-million EU-Armenia financial support agreement in the report.
According to the report, certain progress is seen in customs and border control in Armenia, but it would be desirable to see progress in trade areas.
The authors of the report expressed concern over Armenia’s nuclear power plant saying that closure of the plant is one of top-priority objectives of the two parties.
It was also said in the report that negotiations over the Armenia-EU Association agreement are running in due course.
The authors find the project of creation a comprehensive free trade zone very progressive and ambitious. -0-
Good progresses have been achieved in the area of political dialogue and reforms, especially in overcoming the political crisis of March 2008. Improvements have been noticed in the area of decriminalization and defamation. The work of the Human Rights Defender’s office was strongly welcomed and hailed for its performance, especially in fighting torture in compliance with the UN Convention and in pursuing dialogue with civil society organisations. Some progresses were registered in transparency and in freedom of expression and assembly, while media pluralism will need to be further enhanced. The independence of the Judiciary Progress remains one of the major concerns, and so does the fight with corruption, which saw ‘uneven progresses’ for the period considered. The main framework for social and employment policies is in place, but these policies still need to be fully developed. Nevertheless, the unemployment rate fell of 0,3% during the year, social dialogue with the trade unions improved, and progress was made also the field of social inclusion.
The global economic crisis badly affected Armenia, thus strongly limiting scope of the reforms in the economic, social and environmental sectors. Especially in trade and related fields more progresses were expected; nevertheless, some improvements have been noticed regarding custom service, free movement of goods and technical regulation. The statistic sector finally achieved the EU standards. Food safety also saw remarkable achievements, thanks to technical cooperation with EU member states, but the sector still needs considerable efforts to comply with the ENP standards. As it was noted in the report, business climate, competition, bank system, taxation and auditing are the crucial areas were efforts are mostly needed.
Armenia showed considerable efforts in improving cooperation with the EU in the areas of Justice, Freedom and Security. Main achievements were the introduction of biometric passport for improving border control, and the commitment in fighting organised crime and trafficking of human beings. Nevertheless, Armenia still hasn’t ratified some important Conventions on judicial cooperation, assistance in criminal matters and family law.
Energy is one of the sectors where Armenia showed strong commitment, notably regarding the safe dismantle of the Medzamor Nuclear Power Plant, at the core of the EU-Armenia cooperation. Fight against climate change has been pursued constantly, but little steps were taken in the direction of augmenting the use of renewable energy sources. Even if commitment in the environment sector remains strong, the legislative framework needs to be implemented effectively, and the administrative capacity must be strengthened overall at national level.
Although investments in research remain modest, Armenia is performing well in the field of higher education, complying with the requirements of the Bologna process and benefitting from programmes such as Tempus, Erasmus Mundus and Jean Monnet. Additionally, the sectors related to training, youth and culture received constant support from the government. Reforms in the health sector went on, and special attention was given to HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis fight.
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