On April 15, the third Steering Committee meeting supervising the implementation of the Council of Europe and the European Union Partnership for Good Governance Joint Program for Armenia for the period 2024-2027 was held in Yerevan.

Opening remarks were delivered by the Head of the European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Samvel Mkrtchyan, Director of the Programming Department of the Secretariat of the Council of Europe Schnutz Dürr, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan Maxime Longangué, Head of Co-operation of the European Union Delegation to Armenia Frank Hess.

High-ranking officials of the institutions and agencies of the Republic of Armenia –  Ministry of Justice, Prosecutor’s Office, Court of Cassation, Migration and Citizenship Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Central Bank, Corruption Prevention Commission, Justice Academy, Office of the Human Rights Defender, as well as representatives from the Council of Europe Secretariat and civil society organizations of Armenia participated in the meeting. 

In his speech Samvel Mkrtchyan emphasized the importance of the PGG program within the framework of which the EU and the CoE jointly cooperate with Armenia and alongside with the Armenia-CoE 2023-2026 Action Plan, contributes to the ongoing substantial reforms undertaken by the Government of Armenia for strengthening justice, combating corruption, enhancing the protection of human rights, leading also to the successful implementation of CEPA Agreement and reinforcement of the partnership between Armenia and EU.

During the meeting, the progress based on achievements and tangible results of the implementation of the PGG projects for Armenia was summarized, the needs were identified and the priority activities agreed upon.

The participants reaffirmed the effectiveness of the PGG program in Armenia, launched in 2014 within the framework of the joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Union, and emphasized the need for its continuation in order to ensure the sustainable democratic progress of the Republic of Armenia.

Note: Launched in 2014, the Partnership for Good Governance (PGG) is a joint program of the Council of Europe and the European Union, established for the Eastern Partnership countries. It aims to complement the Council of Europe's national Action Plans and support democratic reforms in these countries. The PGG projects are primarily funded by the EU and implemented by the Council of Europe. The 1st phase of the PGG projects for Armenia covered the period of 2015-2018, the 2nd – 2019-2022. The current phase program is envisaged for 2023-2027 period. With the support of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan, the ongoing PGG projects for Armenia are being implemented in the following areas:

• Strengthening justice
• Preventing and countering economic crime
• Promoting equality and non-discrimination
• Access to justice for women and combating violence against women

Reference: As of April 2025, Information Note on the outcomes of the 2023–2027 PGG Projects for Armenia (Armenian, English)