Brussels – Armenia takes its first step towards EU membership. The government in Yerevan has backed a citizens’ initiative to begin the EU accession process, submitted in late 2024, by presenting a draft law to the national Parliament for approval.
The draft law On the Initiation of the Accession Process of the Republic of Armenia to the European Union was discussed during a government session on 9 January. “It is important to fully understand the essence and context of this matter,” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said after the meeting. He highlighted his speech in the European Parliament in autumn 2023, where his key message was that “Armenia is ready to join the EU, to align as closely as the EU considers possible.”
In 2024, a citizens’ initiative successfully gathered 50,000 signatures, enabling the submission of a legislative proposal in line with the national Constitution. While the government has not opposed the adoption of the law, Prime Minister Pashinyan stressed that “this is not a decision for the government.” He added that this matter “must be resolved through a referendum—there is no alternative.”
It is now up to Parliament to approve the draft law, which could pave the way for a potential referendum on applying for EU membership. “It should also be noted that, if this law is adopted, we need to have a clear plan of action,” the Armenian Prime Minister stated, addressing the possibility of holding a referendum. “My idea is that after this law is adopted, we should work together with the EU to discuss and develop the roadmap,” he emphasised.
The EU accession process follows a series of formal stages that involve a candidate country, EU institutions, and Member States. The process begins when a country wishing to join the EU formally applies for membership to the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. Membership requires an evaluation of the Copenhagen criteria (established in 1993), including geographic, political and economic criteria established by Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). Once the European Commission recommends granting candidate status, the unanimity of the Member States is required for the potential candidate to become an official candidate for EU membership.
The state of EU-Armenia relations
Relations between the EU and Armenia are based on the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), signed in 2017 and fully entered into force on 1 March 2021. Since then, both partners have committed to enhancing and deepening cooperation “in all possible areas,” with Yerevan pursuing a comprehensive reform agenda centred on democracy, transparency, and the rule of law. The visa facilitation and readmission agreements with Armenia took effect in January 2014, and a decade later, the EU institutions decided to launch a visa liberalisation dialogue with Armenia.
Brussels is also actively involved in supporting peace in the region through the direct engagement of the President of the European Council, the EU High Representative, and the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia. In October 2022, 40 EU monitoring experts were deployed on the Armenian side of the international border with Azerbaijan. This was followed in February 2023 by the launch of the EU civilian mission in Armenia (EUMA) under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). In July 2024, the EU took further steps by supporting Armenia militarily with a €10 million allocation via the European Peace Facility.
In its resolution of 12 March 2024, the European Parliament expressed support for Yerevan’s closer alignment with the EU. “Should Armenia be interested in applying for candidate status and continuing its path of sustained reforms to consolidate its democracy, this could mark the beginning of a transformative phase in EU-Armenia relations,” the resolution stated. Following Yerevan’s decision to suspend its participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)—the intergovernmental military alliance of six post-Soviet states, including Russia—Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan advocated for submitting an application for EU membership. The European Parliament also “calls on the Commission and the Council to actively support Armenia’s aspiration for closer cooperation with the EU.”
