On 27 November 2018 the European Union and Armenia held the first meeting of the Partnership Committee under the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

At the meeting, the EU reiterated its support for the Armenian government's reform process, and highlighted that the implementation of the CEPA would be a key tool for reform and modernisation of the country, help attract EU investment, stimulate exchanges with the EU and provide concrete benefits both for the EU and Armenian citizens.

The European Union continues to be a key reform partner in Armenia, providing assistance in the areas such as strengthening democracy and rule of law, economic development, access to finance for private sector and infrastructure investments.

The Partnership Committee discussed the draft CEPA implementation roadmap prepared by the Armenian government. The CEPA foresees that Armenia approximates with the EU legislation referred to in the agreement in the coming years, including in the fields of transport, energy, environment, climate action, taxation and consumer protection. The EU expressed appreciation for the draft roadmap as a good starting point for CEPA implementation. The Partnership Committee stressed the importance of continued, inclusive dialogue with civil society in this context.

The EU and Armenia agreed to continue promoting the mobility of citizens through the Visa-facilitation and the Readmission Agreements and consider in due course the opening of a Visa-liberalisation Dialogue, provided that conditions for well-managed and secure mobility are in place.

The Partnership Committee referred to the forthcoming elections in Armenia, scheduled for 9 December. The EU looks forward to credible, inclusive and transparent elections. The EU and EU Member States are providing concrete support to the electoral process, including voter identification equipment and measures to facilitate voter participation and monitoring by civil society. The Armenian side stressed its commitment to conduct genuinely free and fair elections which will further consolidate the peaceful democratic transformation in the country. 

The Partnership Committee also discussed issues related to rule of law, migration, economic development and education, as well as the Eastern Partnership and regional issues.

The meeting was co-chaired by Mr Garen Nazarian, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Mr Luc Devigne, Deputy Managing Director for Europe and Central Asia at the European External Action Service.