Friday, March 20 2026 14:21
Naira Badalian

Agreement with European Commission signed in Yerevan 

Agreement with European Commission signed in Yerevan 

ArmInfo. The Multi-Sector Budget Assistance Financing Agreement between the Republic of Armenia and the European Commission was signed in the Armenian Government Office in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan and EU Commissioner Marta Kos.

According to the press service of the RA Ministry of Finance, under  the agreement, the European Union will provide Armenia with a total  of EUR 143 million in support for 2026-2028, of which EUR 90 million  will be a budget support grant and EUR 53 million in technical  assistance.

Budget support areas include public financial management and internal  control, export diversification, visa liberalization dialogue and the  rule of law, employment, skills, and social inclusion. As a reminder,  the proposal to sign a financing agreement for the Multi-Sectoral  Budget Support Agreement between the Republic of Armenia and the  European Commission was approved on March 12 at a meeting of the  Armenian Cabinet of Ministers. As stated in the explanatory note to  the document, in July 2025, the European Commission approved a  multiannual action plan for the EU to provide financial assistance to  Armenia under the Resilience and Growth Action Plan for the 2025-2027  financial years (calendar years 2026-2028), worth a total of ?143  million. The plan consists of two components: budget support and  technical assistance, worth ?90 million and ?53 million,  respectively.

The areas of budget support include: public financial management and  internal control; export diversification; dialogue on visa  liberalization and the rule of law; employment, skills, and social  inclusion.

The operation's priorities include bringing Armenia closer to the EU,  promoting a sustainable and inclusive society, and investing in  infrastructure and business development. "As part of the budget  support, Armenia has committed to implementing 34 measures, including  improving the digital procurement system, developing high-quality  infrastructure, introducing a biometric identification system, and  continuing the universal health insurance and housing program for  Karabakh refugees," the document states.

Under the budget support, the EU plans to make one payment per year  in the 2025-2027 financial years (calendar years 2026-2028) for a  total of ?90 million over three years. Regarding technical  assistance, the EU plans to provide ?53 million over the same period.  The receipt of these grant funds will be contingent on the  achievement of the set targets within the specified timeframes.

It is noted that the signing of the Agreement is conditioned by the  commitments undertaken by the Armenian government within the  framework of the 2021-2026 program, according to which "Armenia will  continue bilateral and multilateral cooperation with the European  Union and EU Member States based on the Comprehensive and Enhanced  Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and other jointly signed documents." The  Agreement is also a result of the 2024 Brussels Summit. The package  of measures totaling ?270 million was announced by the EU during a  high-level trilateral meeting on April 5 and is also intended to  support the new partnership agenda between Armenia and the EU.