Armenia's EU action plan adopted in Brussels
On November 14, Armenia and the EU signed their "European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan".
The Plan is in
fact 3-year bilateral cooperation agreement. It is hailed as a first
step towards Armenia’s integration into the EU’s economic and political
system, conditioned on Armenia’s adoption of EU-inspired policies,
rules and regulations.
The EU has stressed that it offers no prospect of membership, and
what type of relationship the ENP might actually lead in the future is
open to speculation. But the Action Plan will in any case be central to
Armenia's future relationship with the Union.
The document offers new “partnership perspectives”, including
increased financial support and technical assistance, as well as help
in various fields. It puts forward a number of specific priorities for
joint action in such fields as the promotion of human rights and
democracy, combating poverty, conflict resolution and regional
cooperation.
Armenia has been negotiating the plan for more than a year. Georgia
and Azerbaijan signed onto their own Action Plans on the same date,
while other countries on the European periphery, including the Ukraine
and Moldova, adopted theirs in 2005.
Links
Links:
>> News at Armenia's Foreign Ministry
>> The Action Plan (English version)
>> The Action Plan (Armenian version)
>> More on the EU's Neighbourhood Policy and EU-Armenia relations
