Following European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s announcement on 4 June of €50 million in aid for Armenia (see EUROPE 13881/20), the European Commission announced on Friday 19 June the release of €34 million.
The aim is to mitigate the impact of trade restrictions imposed by Russia on the country’s private sector. The Commission specified that additional support will be provided to sectors affected by the trade restrictions, notably agri-food products, flower production and other export-oriented industries, through “trade initiatives, business forums and targeted market access initiatives”.
The EU-Armenia task force on economic resilience will continue to meet regularly to guide and monitor the implementation of these measures.
For her part, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos will travel to Armenia on 5 July in order to advance the support plan’s implementation and examine the measures to be taken to strengthen EU-Armenia cooperation.
Moreover, in its conclusions of 19 June, the European Council reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with Armenia and to supporting the country’s sovereignty, resilience, democratic institutions, economy and comprehensive reform agenda. “The deepening of EU-Armenia bilateral relations is an investment in peace, stability and prosperity in the South Caucasus and beyond”, the European leaders stressed.
See the conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/mgl (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with editorial staff)