Yerevan today hosted the 2nd meeting of the EU-Armenia Strategic Policy Dialogue.

It was devoted to the discussion on the recently published draft 2019-2023 Judicial Strategy and 2019-2022 Anti-Corruption Strategy.  The Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia Mr. Rustam Badasyan, H.E. Andrea Wiktorin, Ambassador, Head of the European Union Delegation to Armenia, Mr. Vassilis Maragos, Head of the European Commission's DG NEAR Unit responsible for Armenia, as well as representatives of the Supreme Judicial Council, Prosecutor General Office, Human Rights Defender’s Office, business representatives and Civil Society Organisations participated in the event.

The following statement was released by the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia.

In light of the RA Government’s ambitious agenda to carry out comprehensive reform of the justice sector, the EU expressed its readiness to support the Government in its efforts. The EU-Armenia Strategic Policy Dialogue on Justice Reforms aims at developing a justice reform in line with European standards and commitments under the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement.

As a follow-up to the first meeting of the Strategic Policy Dialogue in September 2018, the meeting today was devoted to the discussion on the recently published draft 2019-2023 Judicial Strategy and 2019-2022 Anti-Corruption Strategy. The dialogue served to link the EU support to the actions deriving from the Strategies, as well as to agree jointly on the EU instruments that will be made available to implement them.

The Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia Mr. Rustam Badasyan, H.E. Andrea Wiktorin, Ambassador, Head of the European Union Delegation to Armenia, Mr. Vassilis Maragos, Head of the European Commission's DG NEAR Unit responsible for Armenia, as well as representatives of the Supreme Judicial Council, Prosecutor General Office, Human Rights Defender’s Office, business representatives and Civil Society Organisations participated in the event.

The Minister of Justice Rustam Badasyan re-confirmed the RA Government strong commitment to move forward with ambitious justice and anti-corruption reforms which will lay ground and serve as an umbrella for both high-level dialogue with the European Union in the Justice sector and for broader cooperation at a technical level. The Minister emphasised the importance to have coordinated and prioritised actions to deliver mutually beneficial results.

Ambassador Wiktorin reiterated that the European Union stands ready to support the commitment of the Government of Armenia to implement reforms in the justice sector and in the fight against corruption which will contribute to efficient and effective administration of justice and a better business, investment climate.

Vassilis Maragos welcomed Government’s efforts to improve public trust in the justice system and underlined that inclusivity and ownership of all stakeholders and the capacity and active engagement of all relevant bodies to steer and implement this ambitious reform programme are key to bring tangible benefits for Armenian citizens.

The Dialogue also served as a platform for engagement of civil society organisations, business sector representatives, and the international community present in Armenia in the process of finalising the shape and future directions of the reform.