Eu-Armenia Comprehensive And Enhanced Partnership Agreement (Cepa)

„This agreement will bring concrete benefits to #Armenia and EU citizens“ @FedericaMog #EaPSummit #CEPA pic.twitter.com/XfGIN3i4vI This agreement will continue to anchor the EU-Armenia partnership and will be based on our common principles and strong commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Neighbourhood and Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi said: „At a time of difficult times for Armenia, the European Union stands with the Armenian people. The entry into force of the EU-Armenia bilateral agreement on 1 March will allow us to strengthen our work as priority areas in the areas of economy, connectivity, digitalisation and green transformation. These will bring concrete benefits to the population and will be the key to the country`s socio-economic recovery and long-term resilience. In these turbulent times, calm and respect for democracy and the constitutional order are essential. The European Parliament and the Council should speed up discussions, reach agreement on the proposal for a digital green certificate and agree on an approach for a secure opening on the basis of a sound scientific framework. The European Commission will continue to support the development of vaccine production and put in place technical solutions to enhance the interoperability of national data exchange systems. Member States should accelerate vaccination programmes, ensure that temporary restrictions are proportionate and non-discriminatory, identify contact points to cooperate on wastewater monitoring and report on efforts, and launch the technical implementation of digital green certificates for the accelerated adoption of the proposal. „One of our long-term goals was to have an ambitious agreement that better reflects the priorities of our partnership with Armenia, address the challenges we face and seize the opportunities we have through even closer cooperation.“ The Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement will strengthen political dialogue and provide a solid basis for further economic and social reforms. Some of the concrete ways in which the new agreement will bring added value to citizens, both in Europe and in Armenia. They are as follows: Japan and the United Kingdom have both committed, under the new agreement, to improve the use of sustainability impact assessments. However, some amendments were not welcomed by civil society organisations, including the removal of the chapter on sustainable development from the scope of the CEPA provisions and the modification of the joint dialogue meeting with civil society every two years instead of the year provided for in the EU-Japan EPA.

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