On 10 February, the European Union notified Armenia about the completion of the ratification process of its member states of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) which will enter into force on 1 March 2021.

The CEPA is an inclusive document, which creates a solid legal basis for the Armenia-EU partnership, outlining cooperation in various spheres, spanning from justice, security, economy, agriculture and infrastructures to environment and climate, education and science, culture, health and many others. It should be stressed that the CEPA addresses the issue of the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, reaffirming the EU's stated commitment to support the efforts and approaches of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, particularly on the basis of equal rights and self-determination of peoples.

The chairman of the Armenian parliament committee on European integration  Arman Yeghoyan expressed his confidence that the CEPA would produce “qualitative changes” in Armenia’s relationship with the EU. He said that although the CEPA makes no reference to visa liberalization it would facilitate the eventual lifting of the EU’s visa requirements for Armenian citizens.

A day earlier, the EU published their implementation report for Georgia. The report highlighted that “Georgia remains committed to the implementation of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement, despite the Covid-19 related challenges,” but that further efforts were needed, most notably in the field of judicial reform and tackling political polarisation. “The prevailing situation following the 2020 Parliamentary elections demonstrates the need for further democratic consolidation, including by addressing the final recommendations of OSCE/ODIHR, through an inclusive dialogue and in good time for the October 2021 local elections. In the short-term, an inclusive political agreement between the majority and opposition parties is needed to enable work in Parliament to advance the important reform agenda. More broadly, tackling the polarisation in Georgian politics and media remains a priority,” the report highlighted. 

“Ensuring the independence and accountability of the judiciary remains a key challenge. It is essential that the selection procedure for Supreme Court Judges is brought fully in line with the recommendations of the Council of Europe Venice Commission and is carried out in a transparent manner and ensuring a genuinely merit-based process, before further appointments are made,” the report added. In terms of trade relations, the report emphasised that Georgia has further aligned its legislation with EU standards and norms to facilitate trade flows and that the key focus in the upcoming time would be to ensure an inclusive, green and sustainable recovery from the Covid-19 crisis and to make further progress on digitalisation and digital literacy in the country, as well as enhancing structural reforms to boost Georgia’s investment climate and making the economy less vulnerable to external shocks. 

The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also started talks with the EU on the EU Multiannual Financial Framework priorities for 2021-2027. It was highlighted that the 2021-2027 long-term EU budget would finance several projects and programs in several areas such as Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas (DCFTA), business promotion, agriculture, rule of law, community involvement and democracy, transport, youth, telecommunications, digital Europe, education and training, regional development. 

It was also reported that the EU in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a new regional programme worth over €40 million to provide critical assistance to ensure local readiness and preparedness for safe and effective vaccination of the population in each of the six Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine). By strengthening preparedness and readiness of the countries for vaccinations, this programme will prepare the countries for the effective receipt and administering of vaccines, including those from the COVAX platform and through vaccine sharing mechanisms with EU Member States. The programme includes risk communication and community engagement, support to vaccine supply chain management, vaccination data and safety monitoring, training of health managers and medical staff involved in the vaccination campaign, scheduling of the vaccinations, as well as key logistical support for the delivery and handling of the vaccines and supplies.