Armenia’s parliamentary committee on European integration approved the bill on launching the country’s European Union membership process in a second reading during an extraordinary session today.
Committee chairman Arman Yeghoyan noted that the bill underwent editorial changes, including the removal of the wording "expressing the united will of the people of the Republic of Armenia" from its preamble. The revised version says that Armenia, "aiming to develop democratic institutions, improve societal well-being, and strengthen security, resilience, and the rule of law, declares the launch of the EU accession process."
The bill will now proceed to a full session of the National Assembly for further discussion. The ruling Civil Contract party has framed the bill as Armenia’s first step toward membership in the European Union. The parliamentary debate on the EU accession process began last month, following an initiative by the civil movement Eurovote, led by non-parliamentary forces, which collected 60,000 signatures to submit the proposal.
The Armenian government endorsed the bill earlier in January before forwarding it to parliament. It passed the first reading on February 12, but the second reading and vote needed to make it law were postponed due to procedural delays. The committee’s latest discussion on the matter lasted longer than expected, exceeding the deadline for including the bill in the parliamentary agenda that week. In addition, the government had suggested removing the preamble and restructuring the bill, but the proposal faced opposition from the initiative’s authors, leading to prolonged deliberations.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, expressing his support for the bill, cautioned that the move should not be interpreted as a formal application for EU membership, as such a decision would require a nationwide referendum.
Following the bill’s arrival in parliament, the European Union’s Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, announced that the EU will thoroughly examine Armenia’s potential membership application, as the country takes significant steps toward initiating its EU accession process.
Moscow, Yerevan’s largest foreign trade partner, has been critical of Armenia’s EU aspirations. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned in January that Armenia’s bid for EU membership would require it to leave the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union and would lead to major price increases in all sectors. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, described Armenia’s EU ambition as the sovereign right of the country.
In a parallel development, Armenia has initiated a political dialogue with the European Union on security issues, with two meetings already held, Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan announced today. He noted that the EU’s ongoing focus on strengthening its security framework presents new opportunities for collaboration, including through the European Peace Facility, for which Armenia recently submitted a second application after receiving its first package of non-lethal military aid last year.
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