Armenia

Joint Programming: State of play 

Joint programming in Armenia started with a meeting of the EU Heads of Mission on 7 October 2013 at the EU Delegation (EUD) in Yerevan. The EUD subsequently organised a meeting with the EU Development Counsellors of the Member States present in the Republic of Armenia (RA) on 29 January 2014. During the meeting a draft roadmap towards Joint Programming was agreed and European partners cooperated closely during the 2014-17 period by way of regular meetings of the EU Development Counsellors as well as in the larger donor coordination group promoted by the UN. The EEAS/DEVCO responded on 29 September 2014 expressing support to the process but requesting the road map to be revised based on their comments. The EEAS called on the road map to “actively promote” government-led coordination including through using and promoting “joint EU positions”. On the basis of these comments, and of the Joint Programming workshop held in Brussels in January 2015, a revised version of the Roadmap for Joint Programming was prepared, and considered by the Development Counsellors on 27 May 2015.

In 2016, European partners involved in the Joint programming process in Armenia developed a joint analysis.

European partners' financial and technical assistance supports Armenia's development priorities. Currently they are set out in the Armenia Development Strategy 2014-2025.

Political Situation

Opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan was elected as prime minister in May 2018 after he spearheaded weeks of mass protests against the ruling Republican Party, transforming the country's political landscape. He had piled pressure on the Republican Party through an unprecedented campaign of civil disobedience, leading to the shock resignation of veteran leader Serzh Sargsyan, a week after he shifted to the newly-empowered role of prime minister after serving for 10 years as president.

In December 2018 Nikol Pashinyan called a snap election to remove the Republican Party majority in parliament, and his My Step Alliance won an overwhelming majority. The Republicans won no seats.