On April 10, the RA Minister of Economy, Vahan Hovhannisyan, met with Klaus Nowack, the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia. This meeting took place as part of the Program of Cooperation Actions between Armenia and the European Union. The meeting was highly appreciated and seen as a positive step towards further developing bilateral cooperation between Armenia and the EU in various sectors, such as socio-economic, cultural, educational, environmental, healthcare, and scientific fields.

Paruyr Hovhannisyan emphasized the importance of the Program of Cooperation Actions between Armenia and the EU for the period between 2023 and 2026. The program aims to enhance the protection of human rights, democratic governance, institutional and legal reforms, and address social, healthcare, educational, environmental, and economic development issues. Additionally, the program seeks to ensure the rights of vulnerable groups, promote social inclusion and gender equality, improve local self-governance, fight against corruption and cybercrime, and modernize the judicial system.

The EU Delegation in Armenia continues to provide support for ongoing efforts in institutional reforms in the judiciary, promoting fair justice, protecting human rights, combating corruption, improving cybersecurity, developing the healthcare system, and safeguarding the rights of children, national minorities, and social rights in general. The delegation also works on enhancing territorial governance.

The EU Program of Cooperation Actions between Armenia and the EU for the period of 2023-2026 is a comprehensive package that covers a wide range of areas. It includes improving the judicial system, ensuring fair judiciary, enhancing cyber defense capabilities, fighting against corruption, improving healthcare and education systems, protecting vulnerable groups, promoting social rights, addressing drug addiction issues, and supporting youth and women’s rights. The program has a total budget of EUR 22.3 million, with EUR 2.8 million specifically allocated to address the needs of internally displaced persons due to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The program is funded by the EU and supported by Norway, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, France, Ireland, Cyprus, and Luxembourg.

This article was originally published on NEWS.am, with information provided by the RA Ministry of Economy.