Back The European Union and the Council of Europe continue supporting the Armenian authorities to implement reform priorities

The European Union and the Council of Europe continue supporting the Armenian authorities to implement reform priorities

The European Union and the Council of Europe together with representatives from the national authorities and beneficiary institutions, held the second Local Steering Committee meeting under the third phase of the Partnership for Good Governance.  

“Today’s meeting is a proof of excellent long-standing co-operation between Armenia, the European Union and the Council of Europe and provides us with a good opportunity to present the results of our work in 2023, exchange opinions, identify challenges and find ways to address them”, said the Director of Programme Co-ordination of the Council of Europe, Claus Neukirch.

“It is encouraging to see the national stakeholders and civil society organisations together to showcase the progress of the Partnership for Good Governance projects, demonstrate the synergy in the fields of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. Success stories from the Partnership for Good Governance previous phases serve as proof of co-operation of the European Union and the Council of Europe”, highlighted the Director of the Europe Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Samvel Mkrtchyan.

“Human rights are one of the cornerstones of the European Union/Council of Europe joint programme Partnership for Good Governance. The programme is in relevance with the current reform agenda of Armenia. And the European Union will continue supporting the reforms in the fields of judiciary, the rule of law and democracy in Armenia”, said the Head of Cooperation Section of the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia Frank Hess.

Three country-specific projects are implemented in Armenia, with a total budget of 2.36 million euros, co-funded by the EU and the Council of Europe. They build on the results of the previous phases of the programme and aim at assisting Armenian authorities in carrying out judicial reforms in the country, enhancing national capacities to effectively prevent and fight economic crime and promoting equality non-discrimination.

At regional level, three projects are implemented in Eastern Partnership countries, including Armenia, aimed at fighting economic crime, promoting equality and non-discrimination and advancing women’s access to justice. Their purpose is to encourage networking, provide a platform for sharing experiences and good practices, and, where relevant, complement country-specific projects.

 Find out more about the work of the Partnership for Good Governance in Armenia

 Find out more about the Partnership for Good Governance programme

 Visit the website of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan

This event is part of the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme “Partnership for Good Governance”, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe.

YEREVAN, ARMENIA 10 APRIL 2024
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About the project

The project "Support to the justice reform in Armenia" aims to ensure that citizens of Armenia enjoy their rights in line with the European standards and benefit from accountable and professional justice system. It supports Armenian authorities to further advance the reform of the judicial system by strengthening its independence, accountability and professionalism. It also aims to aid Armenian authorities ensure effective implementation of the new criminal justice legislation in line with European human rights standards.

The project is implemented within the third Phase of the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Partnership for Good Governance” running from 2023 until 2027. It builds on the results of the previous phases of the Partnership for Good Governance in the field of strengthening justice (Phase I 2015-2018 and Phase II 2019-2023).

How does the project work?

  • Through a combination of tailored policy/legislative, capacity-building and awareness raising actions

Who benefits from the project?

  • Ministry of Justice
  • Constitutional Court
  • Court of Cassation
  • General Assembly of Judges
  • Association of Judges
  • Justice Academy
  • Supreme Judicial Council
  • General Prosecutor’s Office
  • Human Rights Defender’s Office
  • Office of the Representative of Armenia on International Legal Matters
  • Civil society organisations
  • The general public, including persons seeking the protection of their rights in courts

What do we expect to achieve?

  • National authorities have the necessary capacity and tools to implement the Judicial and Legal Reforms Strategy for 2022-2026 in line with European standards and best practices.
  • National authorities align legal framework and policies on judicial independence, impartiality and accountability with CoE standards.
  • Judicial self-governing bodies’ and courts' capacity is enhanced to act in a professional, transparent and accountable manner.
  • Capacity of the criminal justice stakeholders is strengthened to ensure effective implementation of new criminal justice legislation through harmonised policies, institutional and legal frameworks, and implementation practices.


 

What is the Partnership for Good Governance?

The “Partnership for Good Governance” (PGG) is a joint initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe for strengthening good governance in the Eastern Partnership region*. The "Partnership for Good Governance" provides tailor-made support to Eastern Partnership countries to bring their legislation and practice closer to European standards in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy. It supports, in particular, Eastern Partnership countries’ domestic reforms to strengthen justice, counter economic crime, promote equality and non-discrimination, advance women’s access to justice and combat violence against women.

* While the Partnership for Good Governance does not include activities with the participation of the Belarusian authorities, activities may be organised with the representatives of Belarusian civil society and democratic forces as appropriate in line with the European Council Conclusions of February 2022 and the Decision of the Council of Europe Ministers’ Deputies of March 2022.