EU/Euratom/Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement

PURPOSE: to conclude a comprehensive and enhanced partnership agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and Armenia, of the other part.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only if Parliament has given its consent to the act. 

BACKGROUND: the comprehensive and enhanced partnership agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and Armenia, of the other part was signed, subject to its conclusion at a later date.

The Agreement constitutes an important step towards the increased political and economic involvement of the Union in the South Caucasus. By intensifying political dialogue and improving cooperation in a broad range of areas, it will provide the basis for more effective bilateral engagement with Armenia.

It is therefore appropriate to approve the agreement on behalf of the Union.

CONTENT: the draft Council decision aims to approve, on behalf of the Union, the comprehensive and enhanced partnership agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, on the one hand, and Armenia.

The new agreement develops these areas further, thus providing a long-term basis for further developing EU-Armenia relations.

The agreement:

• includes standard EU political clauses on human rights, the international criminal courts, weapons of mass destruction, small arms and light weapons, and counterterrorism. It also contains provisions on cooperation in areas such as transport, energy, health, the environment, climate change, taxation, education and culture, employment and social affairs, banking and insurance, industrial policy, agriculture and rural development, tourism, research and innovation, and mining;

• covers legal cooperation, the rule of law, combating money laundering and terrorist financing, and fighting organised crime and corruption;
• foresees that Armenia shall take steps to develop a well-functioning market economy and to gradually approximate its economic and financial regulations and policies to those of the European Union, as well as supporting Armenia in ensuring sound macroeconomic policies;
• contains a substantive trade title with important commitments in several trade policy areas. These will improve conditions for bilateral EU-Armenia trade, while taking full account of Armenia’s obligations as a member of the Eurasian Economic Union.

The agreement provides for a series of provisions on the procedures applicable to the protection of protected geographical indications.

The draft Council Decision stipulates that a name protected under the provisions of the agreement may be used by any operator marketing agricultural products, foodstuffs, wines, aromatised wines or spirits in accordance with the corresponding specification.

Member States and Union institutions shall enforce the protection provided for in the Agreement, regardless of whether they have been requested to do so by an interested party.