A new report issued by the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) calls on Armenia to pursue its efforts to prevent corruption in respect of persons with top executive functions and the police.

GRECO was established in 1999 by the Council of Europe to monitor States’ compliance with the organization’s anti-corruption standards. Armenia joined GRECO in January 2024.

GRECO notes that while steps taken following the 2018 “Velvet Revolution” in Armenia envisage some promising development to fight corruption, such plans need to be effectively implemented.

“Armenia needs a stronger system of accountability in government to prevent risks of undue influence”, GRECO notes.

Regarding the police, GRECO says that it lacks a well-developed ethics infrastructure: it has neither a dedicated anti-corruption policy/strategy, nor a Code of Conduct of its own, and no risk assessment has been carried out to date. Vetting procedures, upon recruitment and at regular intervals, must be stepped up. Internal oversight would benefit from additional staffing and a proactive, rather than reactive, approach. The representation of women in all ranks in the police should be strengthened, both at the recruitment stage and in the context of the internal promotions.

Authorities in Armenia are expected to report back to GRECO on the implementation of its twenty-two recommendations contained in the report by September 2025.