Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement

The agreement includes the EU's standard political clauses on human rights, the international criminal courts, weapons of mass destruction, small arms and light weapons, and counter-terrorism. It also contains provisions on cooperation in areas such as transport, energy, health, the environment, climate change, taxation, education and culture, employment and social affairs, banking and insurance, media freedom, minority rights, industrial policy, agriculture and rural development, tourism, research and innovation, and mining. In addition, it covers legal cooperation, the rule of law, democratic reform, combating money laundering and terrorist financing, and fighting organised crime and corruption.[14][15]

The agreement also contains a substantive trade title with important commitments in several trade policy areas. These will improve conditions for bilateral EU-Armenia trade, while taking full account of Armenia's obligations as a member of the Eurasian Union. They will ensure a better regulatory environment for economic operators in areas such as trade in services and goods, setting up and running companies, capital movements, government procurement and intellectual property rights, sustainable development, and competition. The agreement encourages Armenian companies to sell more goods and services to the EU and EU companies to open subsidiaries in Armenia, which will contribute to economic growth and job creation.[14][16] The Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement can be seen as a “lite” version of an EU Free Trade Agreement, in which 96% of Armenian goods may enter the EU's single market with zero tariffs. As of 2020, the EU is Armenia's biggest export market.[17]

The agreement also supports enhancing mobility between citizens of the EU and Armenia, while reconfirming the opening of negotiations on visa-free travel for Armenian citizens to the Schengen Area.

Since the signing of CEPA, Armenia is also under negotiations to join the European Common Aviation Area. The agreement will establish a Common Aviation Area between the EU and Armenia which will remove market restrictions and associate Armenia to the EU internal aviation market by harmonizing its aviation legislation with EU standards and implementing a large part of EU aviation rules.[18]

According to the Eastern Partnership policy, Armenia can become a member of the European Union.[19] A 2020 poll found that over 40% of Armenians were in favor of EU membership.[20] There are several political parties in Armenia which are opposed to Armenia's current membership in the Eurasian Union. Bright Armenia, the Free Democrats, Heritage, the European Party of Armenia, and the Republic Party each support Armenia's withdrawal from the Eurasian Union and wish to renegotiate a full Association Agreement with a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area between the EU and Armenia.[21] Several political parties also support Armenia's eventual EU membership bid and have campaigned to begin EU accession negotiations.

In October 2019, the Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Avinyan stated that Armenia and the EU have a completely different level of relationship following the 2018 Armenian revolution. The Minister confirmed that the revolution strengthened ties between Armenia and the EU as both share the same democratic values. The Minister further stated that, "This new political situation is completely in line with the EU’s views". Avinyan also made clear that in the future, Armenia will have to decide whether or not to pursue an EU membership bid. The Minister advised that any decision for Armenia to join the European Union would have to be brought before the people and that future accession of Armenia to the EU would only occur following Armenia's complete withdrawal from the Eurasian Union.[22]

Members of the Eastern Partnership

In December 2019, following the eighth Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, a resolution was passed by all members outlining various EU integration goals to be achieved by 2030. The resolution affirms that the process of EU enlargement is open to Eastern Partnership member states and that future enlargement of the EU will be mutually beneficial for both the EU and Eastern Partnership members. The resolution praised the progress made in Armenia following the 2018 Armenian revolution. The resolution also stated that, "Armenia is the only country in Europe to transition from being a hybrid regime in 2017 to a democracy in 2018" and that the ratification of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement by the Armenian Parliament in April 2018 is considered evidence of a strategically reinforced partnership between Armenia and EU.[23]

In June 2020, the Chair of the European Parliament stated, "We believe that the successful implementation of the comprehensive reforms by Armenia, in areas such as the rule of law, justice and fight against corruption, will create new incentives for an ambitious path towards European integration and the next steps to be taken by Armenia and the EU in the next decade".[24] Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia confirmed that the development of the partnership with the European Union is one of the most important directions of foreign policy of the Republic of Armenia.[25]