JOINT STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT The EU Special Incentive Arrangement for Sustainable Development and Good Governance ('GSP+') assessment of Armenia covering the period 2016 - 2017 Accompanying the document Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council Report on the Generalised Scheme of Preferences during the period 2016 - 2017
Date: 2018-01-19
Institutions: Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security, European Commission
Subjects: Armenia, EU market, common commercial policy, environmental protection, generalised preferences, governance, human rights, international convention, sustainable development, tariff preference

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION HIGH REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNION FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND SECURITY POLICY Brussels, 19.1.2018  SWD(2018) 23 final  JOINT STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT  The EU Special Incentive Arrangement for Sustainable Development and Good Governance ('GSP+') assessment of Armenia covering the period 2016 - 2017 Accompanying the document Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council Report on the Generalised Scheme of Preferences during the period 2016 - 2017 {COM(2018) 36 final} - {SWD(2018) 24 final} - {SWD(2018) 25 final} - {SWD(2018) 26 final} - {SWD(2018) 27 final} - {SWD(2018) 28 final} - {SWD(2018) 29 final} - {SWD(2018) 30 final} - {SWD(2018) 31 final} - {SWD(2018) 32 final}  
 
 
Armenia GSP+ Assessment  

1.  Country Overview 

On  2  April  2017,  Armenia  held  parliamentary  elections  under  the  new  Constitution  which 
shifted  the  Armenian  semi-presidential  system  of governance  to  a  parliamentary  one. 
Elections  were  observed  also  by  a  Delegation  from  the  European  Parliament.  These 
parliamentary  elections  under  the  new  Electoral  Code  were  well-administered  and 
fundamental  freedoms  were  generally  respected.  However,  credible  reports  identified 
widespread vote buying, intimidation of civil servants and private company employees as well 
as  abuse  of  administrative  resources  prior  to  Election  Day,  which  contributed  to  an  overall 
lack  of  public  confidence  and  trust  in  the  elections.  The  EU  has  contributed  financially  to 
electoral assistance meant to increase the safeguards against possible electoral fraud and has 
encouraged  the  Armenian  law  enforcement  bodies  to  conduct  a  credible  and  swift 
investigation  into  all  alleged  criminal  offenses  related  to  elections  and  to  prosecute  in 
accordance with the law. 

The  EU  and  Armenia  negotiated  the  Comprehensive  and  Enhanced  Partnership  Agreement 
(CEPA) as a new legal basis for their cooperation. It was initialled in March 2017 in Armenia. 
The CEPA represents a modern, comprehensive and ambitious agreement, covering political, 
economic  and  sectorial  cooperation  in  fields  such  as  transport,  energy,  communication, 
financial  services,  regional  development,  health  and  education.  It  will  broaden  the  scope  of 
EU-Armenia  relations  and  will  have  as  a  basis  shared  common  values  and  a  strong 
commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law.  

From  20  to  23  June  2017,  a  GSP+  monitoring  mission  took  place.  It  made  ten  concrete 
suggestions  for  priority  actions,  with  a  particular  focus  on  the  protection  of  human  rights 
(including  investigation  of  excessive  use  of  police  force),  the  judiciary,  legislation  against 
domestic  violence  and  against  discrimination,  labour  rights  and  labour  inspection,  fight 
against  corruption  and  protection  of  endangered  species.  The  GSP+  monitoring  mission 
presented  these  suggestions  to  the  relevant  Government  ministries  and  agencies  during  a 
meeting  on  23  June  2017.  The  Armenian  authorities  submitted  information  about  the 
implementation of the priority actions in October 2017. 

The entry into force of the new Constitution in early 2018, with a number of human rights-
related provisions, will be an important milestone with regard to the Government's intention 
to  ensure  the  implementation  and  enforcement  of  legislation  as  strategic  programming 
documents. 

2.  Compliance with GSP+ Obligations 

2.1.  UN Human Rights Conventions (Conventions 1-7) 

Status of ratification and reporting 

During  the  reporting  period,  Armenia  has  maintained  ratification  of  all  GSP+  relevant  UN 
human rights conventions and continued efforts to fulfil its reporting obligations, with some 
delays. The national report on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (due 27 
May 2016) has not been submitted at the time of writing. 

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Status of implementation of the conventions 

In 2016-2017, Armenia continued efforts to address shortcomings identified under the GSP+ 
relevant  UN  conventions.  The  Armenian  authorities  also  continued  efforts  to  improve  the 
involvement of civil society in the implementation and monitoring of the 2014-2016 National 
Human  Rights  Action  Plan  (NHRAP).  According  to  quantitative  data  provided  by  the 
Ministry of Justice, half of the targets of the NHRAP were implemented on time, 35% were 
not implemented, 9% with delay and 6% were removed from the NHRAP. Some aspects of 
the mechanisms for the protection of human rights were improved through the adoption of the 
Constitutional  Law  of  the  Republic  of  Armenia  on  Human  Rights  Defender  and  the 
amendment of the Criminal Code that aligns the definition of torture with the UN Convention. 
However, these improvements did not appear to have a tangible impact on the human rights 
situation  in  Armenia.  The  poor  implementation  of  the  2014-2016  NHRAP  points  to 
unaddressed institutional weaknesses and lack of political commitment.  

Efforts  undertaken  in  this  period  represent  initial  steps  towards  tackling  the  identified 
problems. It is important that Armenia now proceeds with concrete effective implementation 
to  demonstrate  tangible  results  in  a  number  of  areas  in  line  with  the  declared  intent  of  the 
Government.  

International  Convention  on  the  Elimination  of  All  Forms  of  Racial 
Discrimination (CERD) 

Though  some  steps  were  taken  to  raise  awareness  of  the  rights  of  people  belonging  to 
minorities, challenges remain to further increase tolerance and tackle discrimination of ethnic 
minorities.  The  new  Constitution  and  the  new  Electoral  Code  reserve  four  seats  for ethnic 
minorities at the National Assembly. However, representatives of those minorities claim that 
they  have  not  been  consulted  on  political  party  list  nominations  and  that  the  elected 
representatives do not advocate their minority rights. 

After  some  delay,  the  Armenian  authorities  signalled  in  July  2017  that  they  would  make 
efforts to have a standalone anti-discrimination law adopted by the National Assembly. At the 
time  of  writing,  the  draft  law  on  ensuring  equality,  developed  by  the Ministry  of  Justice,  is 
under internal consultation. The draft law foresees  the establishment of  a  body dedicated  to 
assist victims of discrimination. It would, for example, launch investigations of alleged cases 
of discrimination.  

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR) 

In spite of legal requirements, police officers were not held accountable for reported violence, 
in  particular  during  the  July  2016  protests  that  witnessed  excessive  use  of police  force, 
overuse  of  pre-trial  detention  and  violence 
journalists  covering  public 
demonstrations.  Recommendations  by  the  Human  Rights  Defender's  Office  (Ombudsman) 
were not properly followed up. The Armenian judicial authorities informed that a number of 
investigations are ongoing. 

targeting 

Some  new  initiatives  to  address  gender  equality  issues  and  ensure  equal  opportunities  were 
launched,  such  as  the  new  National  Strategy  on  Equality  between  Men  and  Women  2017-
2021.  The  new  law  against  domestic  violence,  called  Law  on  Prevention  of  Domestic 
Violence  and  Protection  of  the  Victims  of  Domestic  Violence,  passed  its  second  and  final 
reading by Parliament on 13 December 2017. 

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A new draft Judicial Code that aims at strengthening the independence of the judiciary is still 
under  discussion.  According  to  the  Armenian  Human  Rights  Defender's  Ad  Hoc  Report  of 
2016, the draft code did not ensure immunity of the judges from internal and external control, 
effective mechanisms to combat corruption, access to the court for marginalised groups and 
examination  of  cases  within  reasonable  periods  of  time;  neither  did  it  provide  guarantees 
against  arbitrary  initiation  of  disciplinary  decisions  by  the  Supreme  Judicial  Council  which 
has  been  used  for  leveraging  certain  judges.  In  2017,  an  EU  peer  review  expert  mission 
recommended providing,  inter alia, for objective criteria for the recruitment, promotion and 
dismissal of judges and for curbing the President's discretionary powers in appointing judges 
as well as for improvement of the mechanism to check the assets and income declarations of 
judges. The Venice Commission rendered its opinion on the draft code in July 2017. 

The  number  of  public  defenders  continued  to  increase  and  the  categories  of  population 
eligible for free legal aid were further expanded. However, lack of public trust continued to 
impair access to justice.  

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) 

In 2016-2017, Armenia provided support to Syrian refugees and asylum seekers. In January 
2017,  Armenia  adopted  the  Annual  Programme  2017  for  Social  Protection  of  Persons  with 
Disabilities  and  the  Programme  on  Social  Inclusion  of  Persons  with  Disabilities  for  2017-
2021.  

The draft Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has been revised for the third time 
and is awaiting adoption. In March 2017, the UN  Committee on the Rights of  Persons with 
Disabilities (CRPD) highlighted that the Constitution and the draft law were not in line with 
the  Convention  on  the  Rights  of  Persons  with  Disabilities  and  recommended  reviewing  it 
accordingly. 

Since  2015,  the  Government  has  been  conducting  a  reform  to  change  the  current  medical 
model  of  disability  assessment  to  a  bio-psycho-social  and  rights-based  model  following  the 
World Health Organisation (WHO) International Classification. The reform aims to enhance 
access  to  services  and  participation  of  persons  with  disabilities.  The  Government  seems 
committed  to  bring  about  a  change  given  several  corruption  related  cases  in  this  sector  in 
previous years. The reform will still require several years and financial resources for full-scale 
implementation.  

There  was  little  progress  on  a  comprehensive  law  against  all  forms  of  discrimination  partly 
due  to  intense  propaganda  from  some  smaller  groups  resisting  change.  Actions  should  be 
taken to establish a national equality body and to explain more effectively the purpose of such 
measures to citizens so that stereotypes regarding the role of women and men in society and 
discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation can be overcome. 

Convention  on  the  Elimination  of  All  Forms  of  Discrimination  Against 
Women (CEDAW) 

The 2016 Concluding Observations from UN CEDAW recommend to adopt a standalone law 
against  domestic  violence,  to  encourage  reporting  of  violations  of  women's  human  rights  to 
relevant  judicial  and  other  State  bodies,  to  adopt  measures  accelerating  women's  full  and 
equal participation in elected and appointed State bodies, to apply the principle of equal pay 
for  work  of  equal  value  as  well  as  gender-neutral  job  classification,  to  enhance  women's 
access  to  basic  health  care  services,  to  implement  the  newly  adopted  law  to  eradicate  sex-

3 

 
selective abortions, to pay special attention to the needs of rural women in State policies and 
to ensure their equal access to basic services.  

Lacking  an  effective  implementation  mechanism,  the  Law  on  Equal  Rights  and  Equal 
Opportunities for Men and Women failed to have an impact during the reporting period. 

A new Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence and Protection of the Victims of Domestic 
Violence  was  passed  by  the  National  Assembly  in  December  2017.  The  law  is  not  fully  in 
compliance with international standards but represents a positive step by the Government and 
the Parliament towards addressing this sensitive issue in Armenia. The law does not include 
full  criminalisation  of  domestic  violence.  An  effective  mechanism  for 
its  proper 
implementation,  including  safe  shelters  for  victims  of  domestic  violence  and  trainings  for 
professionals  (police,  social  workers,  health  specialists  etc.),  will  be  necessary  as  well  as 
continued public awareness raising campaigns on the content of the law.  

The Government has drafted a new National Strategy on Equality between Women and Men 
for  the  period  2017-2021  which  includes  among  its  priorities:  combatting  violence  against 
women and girls, efforts towards equal access to quality education, vocational education and 
training for women and girls, efforts to ensure equal rights and the possibility for women to 
participate in policy and governance processes. The Government needs to ensure that the new 
Strategy,  as  other  strategies  and  actions  plans,  will  be  adopted  with  concrete,  measurable 
performance indicators, expected outcomes and, most importantly, effective implementation, 
monitoring  and  evaluation  mechanisms.  Further  actions  need  to  be  taken  to  increase  public 
and State bodies' awareness in order to support its practical implementation.   

Convention  against  Torture  and  Other  Cruel,  Inhuman  or  Degrading 
Treatment or Punishment (CAT) 

The  July  2016  events  saw  excessive  use  of  police  force,  overuse  of  pre-trial  detention  and 
violence against journalists covering public demonstrations. There is a need for credible, swift 
and effective investigation of all alleged and reported human rights violations and transparent 
prosecution, including of the violations allegedly committed by the law enforcement.  

Current  legislation  and  implementation  practices  lack  sufficient  legal  provisions  and 
implementing  mechanisms  to  secure  redress,  compensation  and  rehabilitation  of  victims  of 
torture, the right to which is guaranteed under Article 14 of CAT. A package of further legal 
amendments to the Penal Code to prevent torture and avoid impunity is still pending adoption.   

In 2008, the Armenian Human Rights Defender (HRD) was declared by law the independent 
National Preventive Mechanism against Torture (NPM). The latter is tasked to prevent torture 
and  other  cruel,  inhuman  or  degrading  treatment  of  punishment  through  regular  visits  to 
places of deprivation of liberty. The NPM shall be further strengthened under the new Law on 
HRD of March 2017. Additional staff for the NPM was approved and the new Law stipulates 
protection  of  the  NPM  members  and  contracted  experts  for  investigation  in  order  to  better 
protect the rights of persons deprived of liberty. 

Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) 

The  Government  showed  political  will  to  implement  the  CRC,  as  it  approved  a  National 
Strategy  and  Action  Plan  on  Child  Rights  Protection  for  2017-2021.  Furthermore,  the  draft 
Human Rights Protection Strategy 2017-2021 and its Action Plan include a special chapter on 

4 

 
child rights. De-institutionalization of the child care system is highlighted as a priority in the 
Government Programme for 2017-2022.  

The Child Rights Unit under the HRD has been officially appointed as the CRC monitoring 
mechanism. Currently, UNICEF is assisting the HRD Office strengthen this unit and monitor 
child  rights  in  general.  At  the  same  time,  the  National  Commission  for  the  Protection  of 
Children's Rights continues to be inactive and fails to perform its mandate. 

Currently, the Government (the Ministries of Labour and Social Affairs and Education) are in 
a  stage  of  ambitious  transformation  of  residential  institutions  for  child  care  and  special 
education.  Around  50%  of  residential  institutions  are  to  be  closed  or  transformed  by  2020. 
Although  this  is  a  positive  development  in  itself,  the  process  should  be  accompanied  with 
significant efforts towards the creation of relevant services for family and child support and 
family 
and 
strengthening/expansion  where  those  exist,  strengthening  of  the  foster  care  system  and 
sustainable  support  to  families).  The  adopted  decrees  need  to  be  accompanied  by  legal 
amendments. 

community-based 

(establishment 

strengthening 

services 

of 

In  the  area  of  justice  for  children,  and  in  particular  in  the  area  of  specialisation  of  justice 
professionals,  UNICEF  and  the  Justice  Academy  launched  a  new  training  programme  for 
judges and prosecutors to explore the system and guiding principles of child rights protection 
and access to justice for children. The programme will soon be available to investigators as 
well. 

Sex-selective  abortions  remain  a  considerable  concern.  The  legislative  changes  adopted  in 
2016 are encouraging but are not sufficient to prevent selective abortions. There is a need for 
a change in societal attitudes and patterns of behaviour that currently indicate a preference for 
male  offspring  and  unequal  esteem  of  girls  and  boys.  More  awareness-raising  targeting  the 
general public, health practitioners and other specialized staff needs to be carried out in order 
to combat this phenomenon.  

The  Government  has  declared  child  poverty  reduction  one  of  its  key  priorities  and  has 
achieved some results. Extreme poverty rates were lower in 2015 (33.7% of children live in 
poverty and 2.5% in extreme poverty) compared to the period 2010-2014. Yet, they have not 
decreased to the level in 2008 (29.8% and 1.6% respectively). Some measures to address the 
worst forms of child labour have been taken and there is increasing awareness of the need to 
ensure access to education for all children.  

Future actions and priorities 

In February 2017, the Armenian Government adopted a new National Human Rights Action 
Plan  (NHRAP)  for  the  period  2017-2019.  The  Ministry  of  Justice  will  continue  to  perform 
coordinating functions. While the Ministry of Justice tried  to improve indicators to measure 
the effective implementation of the NHRAP and consulted civil society on the drafting, some 
of the targets remain broad and difficult to measure. The Coordination Council monitoring the 
implementation  of  the  new  NHRAP  met  for  the  first  time  in  August  2017,  chaired  by  the 
Prime  Minister  who  expressed  a  commitment  to  human  rights  protection.  The  new  Action 
Plan envisages public consultations with civil society every six months.  

The drafting of the Judicial Code and Criminal Codes has been ongoing for two years now. At 
the  time  of  writing,  the  Armenian  authorities  have  neither  submitted  the  new  draft  Judicial 
Code  to  the  National  Assembly  nor  the  revised  Criminal  Procedure  Code.  According  to  the 

5 

 
Government  Programme  2017-2022,  the  revised  Criminal  Procedure  Code  shall  be  handed 
over to the National Assembly at the end of 2017.  

The draft Government Decree on 'Approving the Strategy of Legal and Judicial Reforms for 
the  Period  2018-2023  and  its  Action  Plan'  to  strengthen  the  rule  of  law  is  currently  being 
elaborated by the Ministry of Justice and envisaged to be adopted at the beginning of 2018. 

Conclusions 

In  2016-2017,  Armenia  continued  efforts  to  address  the  shortcomings  identified  in  the 

protection of human rights and some progress was made. A number of legislative proposals, 

strategies, action plans and initiatives were prepared and reviewed. If adopted and effectively 

implemented, these would address many of the issues at stake. Such efforts must also include 

awareness-raising  activities  to  ensure  ownership  and  understanding  of  the  reforms  serving 

the Armenian population. For instance, more awareness-raising targeting the general public, 

health  practitioners  and  other  specialized  staff  is  needed  in  order  to  combat  sex-selective 

abortions  and  domestic  violence.  Furthermore,  the  Government  still  needs  to  develop  more 

systemic links between the national human rights frameworks and international commitments.  

The  Armenian  authorities  took  measures  to  consult  civil  society  and  international  expertise 

with  a view to  meet  international standards regarding the protection of human rights. They 

still need to step up efforts to address effectively several persisting human rights challenges, 

in  particular  police  accountability,  judicial  independence,  legislative  and  enforcement 

frameworks  against  torture  and  ill  treatment,  a  comprehensive  legal  framework  against  all 

kinds  of  discrimination,  prevention  of  violence  against  women  and  children  and  the  fight 

against child poverty. 

2.2.  ILO Labour Rights Conventions (Conventions 8-15) 

Status of ratification and reporting 

Over the reporting period, Armenia has maintained ratification of all eight ILO fundamental 
Conventions relevant for GSP+ and has complied with all its reporting obligations.  

Status of implementation of the conventions 

If  adopted,  new  amendments  to  the  Labour  Code  would  address  several  legislative 
shortcomings. Poor capacities of the administration and the institutions, as well as the lack of 
financial and human resources, remain an important obstacle to effective implementation and 
progress. 

Foremost,  the  situation  of  the  labour  inspection  system  –  reduced  to  a  department  at  the 
Ministry of Health – remains a major concern, as it still does not allow for any supervision of 
labour  legislation  on  matters  linked  to  general  working  conditions  or  employment  relations 
(wages,  employment  contracts,  welfare  provisions)  nor  for  an  effective  supervision  of 

6 

 
occupational health and safety (OSH) standards. While OSH remains the only area under its 
competency, recent changes that entered into force in 2017 further reduce its competences in 
this  area.  The  immediate  future  of  labour  inspection  remains  open,  as  the  mandate  of  the 
current agency expires at the end of 2017. Armenian authorities so far refrained from taking 
advantage  of  assistance  provided  by  the  ILO  under  an  EU-funded  project.  This  bears 
negatively on the effective implementation of all fundamental labour standards.  

Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining (Conventions 87 and 98) 

Concerns remain regarding  the exclusion of some categories of civil servants as well as the 
self-employed,  liberal  professions  and  informal  workers  from  forming  and  joining  trade 
unions.  Furthermore,  issues  remain  regarding  the  excessively  high  minimum  membership 
requirements  for  the  formation  of  trade  unions  and  employers'  organisations  at  all  levels, 
ambiguous  provisions  on  workers'  representation  in  the  absence  of  trade  unions  as  well  as 
regarding limitations to the right to strike. De facto, the present legislation (Labour Law and 
the Law on Trade Unions) discourages the formation  of unions independent of the majority 
and branch trade unions.  

Existing legislation also falls short on two other main counts: it allows for bypassing of the 
representative  trade  unions  for  collective  bargaining  (at  enterprise  level)  and  for  unilateral 
termination  of  the  collective  agreements  in  case  of  restructuring  and/or  privatisation  of  a 
company. Some legislative amendments have been discussed with the social partners, and the 
drafts have been submitted to the National Assembly, but there is still no confirmed timeline 
for adoption. 

Abolition of Forced Labour (Conventions 29 and 105) 

Existing  legislation  continues  to  prohibit  forced  or  compulsory  labour  of  any  form  but  the 
definitions  need  to  be  brought  in  line  with  the  ILO  Conventions.  Legislation  also  needs  to 
better provide for the identification and prevention of forced labour. Concerns exist about the 
application of  the  voluntary  principle  in  the  case  of  prison work  and  of  the  rules  governing 
working terms and conditions, notably regarding safety at work in such cases. 

Related to forced labour is also action addressing trafficking in human beings. Armenia fully 
meets  the  minimum  standards  for  the  elimination  of  trafficking  according  to  the  2016  US 
Department's Trafficking in Persons Report. Anti-trafficking institutions are in place as well 
as  a  referral  mechanism  for  victims.  Action  Plans  are  implemented.  However,  regular 
reporting  on  activities  and  results  is  lacking.  More  efforts  are  needed  to  identify  victims  of 
forced labour, including training of officials of relevant State agencies, and better cooperation 
between law enforcement bodies. The absence of a labour inspectorate is a major shortcoming 
in that respect. 

The  Group  of  Experts  on  Action  against  Trafficking  in  Human  Beings  of  the  Council  of 
Europe  (GRETA)  adopted  the  Report  of  the  Second  Evaluation  Round  concerning  the 
implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human 
Beings by Armenia in December 2016. Among others, GRETA found that more remains to be 
done  to  prevent  child  trafficking,  reintegration  of  victims  into  society,  identification  of 
victims, increased prosecution and access to compensation.   

Important  developments  in  the  fight  against  human  trafficking  included  the  adoption  of  the 
Law on Identification and Support to Persons Subjected to Trafficking in Human Beings and 
Exploitation  (Anti-Trafficking  Law),  which  entered  into  force  in  July  2015  and  led  to  the 

7 

 
review of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) for victims of trafficking. A new National 
Action  Plan  for  Combating  Trafficking  in  Human  Beings  for  the  period  2016-2018  was 
adopted in July 2016. 

On  the  institutional  front,  pursuant  to  the  new  Anti-Trafficking  Law,  an  Identification 
Commission  was  set  up,  composed  of  representatives  of  the  Ministry  of  Labour  and  Social 
Issues,  the  Prosecutor  General's  Office,  the  Police  and  NGOs  specialised  in  working  with 
victims  of  trafficking.  A  new  structure,  the  Investigative  Committee,  was  established  and 
tasked with the investigation of serious offences, including trafficking of human beings. The 
Identification  Commission 
the 
Investigative Committee, the Police and the Prosecutor General's Office are collecting data on 
criminal cases. 

is  collecting  statistical  data  about  victims  whereas 

Minimum Age for Work and Worst Forms of Child Labour (Conventions 138 
and 182) 

Poverty is an underlying cause of child labour. It has strongly decreased in the last years but 
remains  higher  than  in  2008.  Child  poverty  reduction  is  declared  to  be  one  of  the  key 
priorities for the Government. The family-benefit system has an impact on reducing extreme 
poverty, but less on overall poverty reduction. An ongoing reform aiming to integrate social 
services  faces  many  challenges,  such  as  systemic  capacity  development,  quality  of  case 
management, availability and quality of services at local level, financing of social projects and 
cooperation among social service providers. 

According to the 2015 National Survey on Child Labour, conducted with the support of the 
ILO, 8.7% of children aged 5-17 are involved in child labour in Armenia – a majority of them 
(79.4%) in hazardous work. Child labour is more prevalent among older age groups (aged 16-
17)  and  concentrated  in  rural  areas.  The  survey's  results  and  recommendations  have  been 
discussed with the Government. Armenia does not feature on the US Department of Labour’s 
List of Goods Produced by Child (or Forced) labour. 

The  law  continues  to  prohibit  permanent  employment  of  children  under  the  age  of  16  and 
regulates  the  types  of  work  and  working  conditions  allowed  for  children  under  this  age. 
Shortcomings  remain  regarding  the  protection  of  children  not  bound  by  an  employment 
relationship, such as in the cases of unpaid and/or informal work and of the self-employed. As 
of September 2017, legislative changes came into force that brought compulsory education to 
12  years,  meaning  until  the  age  of  19.  However,  there  is  no  information  about  the 
accompanying measures in terms of school and teaching capacities.  

A  draft  National  Strategy  on  Child  Rights  Protection  for  2017-2021  and  the  corresponding 
Action  Plan  are  being  further  elaborated  by  the  Ministry  of  Labour  and  Social  Affairs.  It 
should reflect the recommendations of the aforementioned survey on child labour. It will also 
be  important  to  see  how  the  further  development  of  childcare  services  and  specific  support 
programmes for the adolescents graduating from the State-supported services will be reflected 
in this new strategy. 

Due to the dismantling of the labour inspection and the absence of any other agency with such 
competences,  the  enforcement  of  child  labour  legislation  is  not  ensured.  There  are  no 
integrated monitoring systems in place for child labour apart from a dedicated unit within the 
police.  The  functioning  of  guardianship  and  trusteeship  bodies  is  poor  and  the  numerous 
working groups and committees operate at too high level and are not effective enough on the 
ground.  

8 

 
The school drop-out rate can be linked to child labour, either as a consequence or incentive 
factor. A UNICEF supported project has been undertaken to establish a 'detection tool' which 
would  connect  several  agencies  and  improve  children's  reintegration  into  school.  Armenia's 
limited capacity and resources to sustain the developed tools through its own means beyond 
funded projects is, however, an issue.  

Elimination of Discrimination (Conventions 100 and 111) 

The gender gap in labour market participation remains high at nearly 19% (2016 World Bank 
data), reflecting also the overall lack of job opportunities in the country. Armenia ranks 102nd 
out  of  144  countries  in  the  2016  Global  Gender  Gap  index  and  features  among  the  lowest-
ranked countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The gender pay gap has decreased over 
the last ten years by 11 percentage points, but stands still at 33.5%. Steps taken to address this 
issue,  such  as  a  gender-neutral  job  classification  and  remuneration  system,  remain 
concentrated in the public administration. Nevertheless, even there, existing legislation does 
not prevent indirect discrimination.  

The existing legislation (Labour Code and Law on Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities for 
women and men) still does not rightly incorporate the principle of equal pay for work of equal 
value.  In  its  2017  report,  the  Committee  of  Experts  on  the  Application  of  Conventions  and 
Recommendations (CEACR) repeated its request for legislative amendments in this regard. 

The  amended  Constitution  generally  prohibits  all  kinds  of  discrimination,  but  there  is  no 
implementing secondary legislation and the prohibition is not specified for employment and 
occupation. Equal  access  to  employment and recruitment is  not  well covered by legislation. 
Legislation  should  also  be  amended  or  adopted,  as  well  as  the  practical  measures,  in 
collaboration  with  workers'  and  employers'  organizations,  to  prevent  sexual  harassment  in 
employment and occupation.  

Training  courses  for  civil  servants  and  awareness-raising  activities  on  gender  issues  and 
equality  between  men  and  women  in  general  have  continued.  However,  there  have  been  no 
specific activities on equal pay or anti-discrimination in employment.  

Future actions and priorities 

Based on the Prime Minister's order, the submission of the new Labour Code is envisaged by 
the end of 2017. The Armenian authorities need to demonstrate that they stand firm to their 
commitment to take into account the principles of ILO Conventions in the drafting process.  

The  fight  against  trafficking  and  exploitation  of  human  beings  also  remains  on  the 
Government's agenda and a number of preventive, information-sharing and capacity-building 
activities are planned in relevant policies and actions. 

To  address  the  issue  of  child  labour,  recent  legislative  changes  entered  into  force  in  June 
2017,  which  introduce  free  compulsory  secondary  education.  The  gradual  move  towards 
completely inclusive education will continue and is planned to be achieved by 2025. 

The  adoption  of  important  legislative  initiatives  with  a  broader  scope,  such  as  an  anti-
discrimination law, would have a positive impact on the application of the ILO fundamental 
labour standards conventions. 

9 

 
Conclusions 

Armenia records a satisfactory level of compliance with the ILO fundamental conventions and 

no major violations of the ILO fundamental conventions are reported. Nevertheless, there has 

not been any major progress in addressing the remaining shortcomings during the reporting 

period  to  bring  Armenia's  legislation  and  practice  more  in  line  with  the  ILO  fundamental 

conventions.  

The  latest  developments  regarding  the  labour  inspection  are  of  the  most  serious  concern. 

There remains an absolute need to (re-)establish a solid and effective labour inspection and 

the  Armenian  authorities  should  address  this  urgently.  Improvements  are  also  needed  on  a 

number of related points, in particular freedom of association for employers and workers and 

protection against discrimination at the workplace.  

The recent survey on child labour and its recommendations are an important step that needs 

to be translated into Government actions to further address and eliminate child labour. It is of 

utmost importance that the Government involves the social partners as well as the ILO in its 

initiatives in the area of labour rights protection. 

The  very  substantial  informal  employment  –  linked  to  poor  job  opportunities  overall  –  is  a 

serious  obstacle  to  the  overall  progress  in  labour  and  social  standards  and  needs  to  be 

addressed. 

2.3.  UN Conventions on Environmental Protection and Climate   

Change (Conventions 16-23) 

Status of ratification and reporting 

Over  the  reporting  period,  Armenia  has  maintained  ratification  of  all  GSP+  relevant 
conventions  on  environmental  protection  and  climate  change.  In  2016-2017,  Armenia 
complied with the reporting obligations to the monitoring bodies of these conventions, with 
the exception of CITES, the Basel Convention and the Cartagena Protocol.  

Status of implementation of the conventions 

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and 
Fauna (CITES) 

Armenia's  national  legislation  related  to  the  implementation  of  CITES  remains  ranked  as 
category  3,  which  means  that  it  does  not  meet  the  requirements  for  the  convention's 
implementation. Armenia has only recently been able to provide an English translation of the 
existing legislation, which it claims to be compliant with CITES, to the CITES Secretariat for 
assessment. 

10 

 
The  2015  annual  report  of  the  convention  was  submitted  to  the  CITES  Secretariat  in 
September 2016. However, at the time of writing, the annual reports for 2013, 2014 and 2016 
as well as the biennial report for 2013-2014 remain due.  

According to media reports, the actual transit of CITES specified species and specimen is not 
properly registered by customs. Hence, Armenia may serve as an illegal transit country. The 
media also report that CITES species and specimen are sometimes registered by customs but 
not provided with permits by the CITES national authority. Furthermore, the CITES country 
data, particularly, the ‘country dashboard’ and ‘export/import reports’ point to a possible lack 
of  discipline  in  recording  and  registering    trade  in  CITES  species  and  specimen,  as  well  as 
inconsistencies  in  coordination  between  the  CITES  national  authorities  of  trade-partner 
countries. 

During  2016-2017,  workshops  took  place  addressing  these  issues  with  airport  officials, 
customs  clearance officers, representatives from the Ministry  of Nature Protection, Finance, 
Agriculture and the Yerevan Zoo. 

According  to  information  from  the  Armenian  authorities,  they  are  working  with  the  CITES 
Secretariat on the introduction of an electronic CITES permit system. 

Basel Convention 

Over the reporting period, no salient shortcomings regarding the implementation of the Basel 
Convention were identified. However, national reports for 2005 and 2012 are still due. As for 
its  implementation,  the  information  available  is  rather  limited.  Armenia  did  report  on  a 
number of by-laws being prepared to regulate the management and recycling of mining waste. 

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 

There  were  no  salient  shortcomings  identified  as  regards  the  implementation  of  the  CBD. 
Currently, the two main policy documents in the area of biodiversity are the revised National 
Strategy  and  Action  Plan  on  the  Conservation,  Protection,  Reproduction  and  Use  of 
Biological  Diversity,  and  its  associated  Action  Plan  for  2016-2020,  adopted  in  December 
2015, as well as the Strategy of the Republic of Armenia for Special Protected Nature Areas 
and the State Programme for Protection and Usage, adopted in September 2014. Various new 
laws  were  being  prepared  during  the  period  2016-2017,  inter  alia,  amendments  and 
supplements to the Law on Fauna.  

Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants 

Armenia  has  not  yet  submitted  any  of  the  three  required  updates  to  its  2006  National 
Implementation Plan (NIP). According to the information provided by Armenia, the update of 
the  NIP  has  been  done  for  the  period  2016-2020,  but  has  not  yet  been  approved  by  the 
authorities. It would be useful to receive updated information on measures taken or foreseen 
to effectively implement this Convention, including on the update of the NIP. 

The  on-going  project  on  the  'Reduction  of  Unintentional  Organic  Pollutants  Releases  (U-
POPs)  from Open Burning  Sources' is  a pilot  project with  the aim to  reduce  the releases  of 
dioxins and furans (2016-2018) while renovating a selected landfill. The project 'Elimination 
of  Obsolete  Pesticide  Stockpiles  and  Addressing  POPs  Contaminated  Sites  within  a  Sound 
Chemicals Management Framework in Armenia' is on-going until 2019. This project aims to 
eliminate obsolete pesticides and liquidation from the Nubarashen burial site.  

11 

 
Constraints on effective implementation, as raised by Armenia, include the lack of education 
in the refrigeration and air-conditioning industry, which may be a barrier to the introduction 
of  new  ozone  and  climate  friendly  technologies.  Additionally,  customs  entry  points  are  not 
equipped  with  Ozone-Depleting  Substances  (ODS)  identifiers  to  allow  field-testing  to 
distinguish between ODS and non-ODS refrigerants. 

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety 

At the time of writing, Armenia intends to submit the 3rd national report in the third quarter of 
2017.  In  absence  of  the  Law  on  Living  Modified  Organisms  Regulations  for  Transit  and 
Contained Use of Living Modified Organisms  (LMOs), essential  functionalities foreseen by 
the  Cartagena  Biosafety  Protocol  cannot  be  put  in  place.  There  is  a  need  for  establishing  a 
laboratory  with  sufficient  capacity  to  define  LMOs  as  well  as  for  personnel  training.  The 
Ministry  of  Nature  Protection  has  requested  expert  assistance  from  the  Secretariat  for  the 
elaboration of relevant legislation.  

Conventions on Climate Change 

Concerning  the  implementation  of  the  United  Nations  Framework  Convention  on  Climate 
Change  (UNFCCC),  Armenia  submitted  the  3rd  National  Communication  in  April  2015  and 
its 1st Biennial Update Report to the UNFCCC in April 2016. Preparations on the 2nd Biennial 
Update Report have been launched. 

The main constraints pertaining to the implementation of the UNFCCC, as raised by Armenia, 
are dependence  on external financing, shortage and frequent  rotation  of qualified specialists 
with  knowledge  of  the  Convention  as  well  as  low  awareness  at  local/regional  level  of  the 
Convention. 

In  February  2017,  Armenia  ratified  the  Paris  Agreement  of  the  UNFCCC,  and  the  Doha 
amendment to the Kyoto Protocol.   

the  Montreal  Protocol,  Armenia 

terms  of  phasing  out 
As  for 
hydrochlorofluorocarbons  (HCFCs).  This  positive  achievement  was  accompanied  by  a 
number  of  improvements  to  national  legislation  on  Ozone  Depleting  Substances  (ODS). 
Consumption data on ODS for 2015 were collected and submitted to the Secretariat on time in 
March 2016.  

is  on 

track 

in 

Stage II of the HCFC Phase-out Management Plan covering the period of 2016-2020 has been 
approved. This should enable Armenia to meet its obligations under the Montreal Protocol on 
the  accelerated  phase-out  of  HCFCs  and  will  effectively  target  reaching  35%  phase-out  of 
HCFCs by 2020. 

The phase-out plan aims at 1) improving the national legislation and bringing it in line with 
international  developments,  2)  establishing  and  equipping  the  facilities  at  the  training 
institutions to enable professional education in  the refrigeration and air-conditioning  sector 
as well as prevention of illegal trade in ozone depleting substances by the customs officers, 3) 
providing  technical  assistance  and  supplying  the  refrigeration  technicians  with  the  tools  to 
provide ozone-friendly services. 

In  February  2017,  the  ODC  Alternatives  survey  was  completed  to  better  understand  the 
historical and predicted consumption trends for ODS alternatives, including medium, low and 
high global warming potential alternatives, and their distribution by sector and subsector. 

12 

 
In  April  2017,  Armenia  initiated  the  ratification  procedure  of  the  Kigali  Amendment  to  the 
Montreal  Protocol  which  adds  powerful  greenhouse  gases  hydrofluorocarbons  to  the  list  of 
substances controlled under the Protocol. 

Conclusions 

The ratification of the Paris Agreement in February 2017 was a welcome sign of Armenia's 

commitment to developing a low carbon economy and to tackle the great untapped potential 

of energy efficiency. Under the Montreal Protocol, a number of improvements to the national 

legislation on ODS have been made. 

Armenia's inadequate reporting under the international climate and environment conventions 

remains a worrying issue. Armenia should finalise and submit its report under the Cartagena 

Protocol  on  Biosafety  without  further  delay.  In  addition,  Armenia  has  still  not  updated  the 

initial  National  Implementation  Plan  of  2006  of  the  Stockholm  Convention  although  three 

updates are due. Regarding CITES, Armenia should ambitiously aim at fulfilling its reporting 

obligations and at obtaining category 1 status for its national legislation. 

2.4.  UN Conventions on Good Governance (Conventions 24-27) 

Status of ratification and reporting 

During  the  reporting  period,  Armenia  maintained  the  ratification  of  the  three  core  UN 
conventions on fighting illegal drugs and the UN Convention against Corruption. According 
to  the  last  reports  of  the  International  Narcotic  Control  Board  (INCB)  and  the  2013  UN 
Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) implementation review, Armenia is compliant with 
all requests for monitoring information. 

Status of implementation of the conventions 

According to the 2015 INCB report, Armenia demonstrated considerable improvement in its 
efforts  to  address  shortcomings  related  to  the  implementation  of  the  three  core  UN 
conventions fighting illegal drugs in 2014-2015.  

While the fight against corruption has become a priority for the Armenian Government in the 
past years and while important legislative and policy developments took place, shortcomings 
remain  and  the  public  perception  of  corruption  in  the  country  remains  negative.  The  last 
UNCAC  review  noticed  a  need  for  closer  alignment  of  Armenian  legislation  with  some 
principles and definitions of the Convention (see the 2016 GSP Report1). On the other hand, 
UNCAC  reviewing  experts  highlighted  some  legal  provisions  which  could  be  regarded  as 
good  practice,  including  the  aim  to  expedite  international  cooperation  and  mutual  legal 
assistance. 

1 https://eeas.europa.eu/sites/eeas/files/european_commission._2016._report_on_the_generalised_ 
scheme_of_preferences_during_the_period_2014-2015.pdf 

13 

 
                                                 
UN Conventions Fighting Illegal Drugs 

A new Law on Drugs was adopted in May 2016, replacing the Law on Drugs from 1998. The 
new Law is an unprecedentedly well-codified and comprehensive document in this sphere. It 
aims  at  streamlining  the  processes  of  legal  circulation  of  general  practice  medications,  but 
also  that  of  narcotic  drugs  and  psychotropic  substances.  Article  2  of  the  Law  clearly  states 
that  all  issues  that  are  not  "directly  regulated  otherwise  by  the  Law  on  Narcotic  drugs  and 
Psychotropic  substances",  shall  be  regulated  by  the  new  Law  on  Drugs.  This  represents  a 
positive  step  because  the  Law  on  Narcotic  Drugs  and  Psychotropic  substances,  which  was 
adopted  in  2002,  could  not  provide  full  regulation  of  legal  drugs,  from  pre-clinical  and 
clinical studies to advertisement.  

The  new  law  protects  the  vulnerable  groups  of  the  population  by  setting  up  the  list  of  so-
called 'compensated' drugs, which include "drugs that are provided from the State budget by 
the  Republic  of  Armenia  to  the  beneficiaries  identified  by  the  legislation,  in  a  manner 
guaranteed by the State, with full or partial compensation of the cost of drugs". 

In  2016,  several  changes  were  made  in  the  annexes  of  the  Criminal  and  Administrative 
Offences Codes of Armenia to further reinforce the system of the control of diversion of drug 
precursors. The  most  recent  amendments  adopted  by  the  Parliament  in  October  2016  added 
more than 650 new drugs and psychotropic substances and their precursors to the Annexes. 

UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) 

Armenia was ranked number 113 out of 176 countries in the 2016 Transparency International 
Corruption  Perception  Index,  with  a  perceived  level  of  public  sector  corruption  score  of  33 
out  of  100  (whereby  zero  means  'highly  corrupt').  This  marks  a  deterioration  compared  to 
scores in 2015 (35) and 2014 (37). 

In December 2016, illicit enrichment was criminalised in the Criminal Code. As a follow-up, 
it  will  be  necessary  to  introduce  regulations  in  the  Criminal  Procedure  Code  obliging  the 
suspects/accused/defendants to justify the legitimacy of their income and assets, and allowing 
law 
the  
effectively 
suspects/accused/defendants are unable or unwilling to comply with such obligation.  

presumptions 

enforcement 

factual 

bodies 

infer 

to 

if 

In June 2017, the National Assembly adopted an anti-corruption package which was drafted 
in  close  cooperation  with  civil  society  organisations.  It  is  said  to  enter  into  effect  in  early 
2018. The package includes the Law on the Corruption Prevention Commission, the Law on 
Making Amendments in the Law on Public Service and the Law on Whistleblowing System.  

The  Law  on  the  Corruption  Prevention  Commission  provides  for  the  establishment  of  the 
Commission on the basis of the Ethics Commission of High Ranking officials. The objective 
is  to  reinforce  the  administrative  capacity  to  enforce  the  asset  declaration  system.  For  this 
purpose  the  law  also  provides  for  sanctions  on  non-compliance  with  the  asset  declaration 
obligations.  The  Commission  will  have  broader  competence  than  the  current  Ethics 
Commission  for  High-Ranking  Officials  and  more  guarantees  of  independence.  The 
Commission will have a right to convene proceedings and apply liability measures.  

The preliminary assessment of the law is positive but concerns remain, for example regarding 
the  selection  process  of  the  board  members.  According  to  information  received  from  the 
Armenian  authorities,  these  provisions  are  being  integrated  into  the  Law  on  Making 
Amendments in the Law on Public Service. The latter also provides that the number of civil 

14 

 
servants who are obliged to declare their income and assets shall increase from 500 to 2,700. 
The Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption's (GRECO) 4th Evaluation Round 
Report,  published  in  February  2016,  indeed  recommended  that  not  only  high-ranking 
officials, but all prosecutors should be covered by the declaration obligation.  

The Law on Whistleblowing System and the Law on Making Supplements and Amendments 
to the Criminal Code do not provide for legal support for whistle-blowers through the public 
defender, which would help those who report about corruption and are being prosecuted but 
lack the means to defend themselves in courts.  

The Anti-corruption Strategy and its implementation plan adopted on 25 September 2015 are 
in operation until 2018. Local experts were hired to conduct corruption risk assessment in four 
selected sectors (education, State revenues, police and healthcare) and to develop measures to 
tackle corruption. Currently, the Anticorruption Council is discussing the plans developed by 
the  experts.  The  Council  continued  to  lack  the  financial  and  human  resource  capacity 
necessary to effectively monitor and coordinate the future implementation of the 2015-2018 
Anti-corruption Strategy and Action Plan. 

Armenia  has  been  making  constant  efforts  to  improve  its  reporting  about  corruption  cases. 
Statistics on corruption-related offences are compiled and posted for free public access by the 
Prosecutor  General’s  Office  on  its  official  website  (www.genrpoc.am).  Abuse  of  power 
represents  the  most  typical  criminal  offence.  However,  there  appears  to  be  only  few 
convictions. Publication of landmark or individual corruption cases is still missing. 

Conclusions 

The  new  Law  on  Drugs  enables  Armenia  to  positively  react  to  the  issues  mentioned  in  the 

2015  INCB  Report.  It  demonstrates  that  the  Government  made  combating  trafficking  in 

narcotic drugs a priority.  

Armenia demonstrated commitment to address corruption by adopting a package of laws. The 

effectiveness  of  these  laws  will  depend  on  the  Government's  will  to  implement  and  enforce 

them,  which  is  put  in  doubt  by  the  lack  of  certain  provisions.  For  example,  the  Corruption 

Prevention Commission will only be fully operational if all regulations for the prevention of 

corruption are in place, notably the definition of personal interest prescribed by the law.  

Challenges ahead also include the implementation and enforcement of the new provisions on 

illicit  enrichment  and    asset  declarations.  Armenia  must  continue  reinforcing  institutional 

capacities in this area as well as guaranteeing the independence of competent institutions, in 

particular  of  the  newly  created  Corruption  Prevention  Commission,  but  also  of  authorities 

responsible for enforcement.  

Furthermore, Armenia needs to ensure that its legislation is brought into full compliance with 

UNCAC, that the Law on Whistleblower Protection and the amendments to the Law on Public 

Service are implemented as a matter of urgency, and that the electronic system of declaration 

15 

 
of  assets  and  conflict  of  interest  is  fully  functional.  Compliance  with  UNCAC  would  also 

entail further steps in order to introduce criminal liability of legal persons into the national 

legislation. 

3.  Trade and Economy 

3.1.  Trade Picture 

In 2016, Armenia's economy grew by 0.2%, following a growth rate of more than 3% in 2015. 
According to the IMF, Armenia's real GDP growth for 2017is projected at 3.5% on the back 
of strong performance in the industrial and service sectors in the first half of the year. 

Trade relations between the EU and Armenia continued to be regulated by the Partnership and 
Cooperation  Agreement  of  1999  until  the  entry  into  force  of  the  new  Comprehensive  and 
Enhanced Partnership Agreement. The EU accounts for around 20% of Armenia's total trade. 
The EU is thus Armenia's second top trading partner after Russia (30%).  

From 2013 to 2016, EU imports from Armenia increased by around 30%. In 2016, total EU 
imports from Armenia amounted to around EUR 310 million and mainly consisted of copper 
ores and concentrates, aluminium foil and ferro-molybdenum. 

The  EU  exported  goods  worth  around  EUR  600  million  to  Armenia  –  mainly  machinery, 
textiles and chemicals. 

3.2.  GSP+ Statistics 

Figures 1-3 below describe Armenia's utilisation of GSP+ in the context of the EU's overall 
imports from Armenia. 

In  2016, 38%  (EUR 116  million)  of total EU imports from Armenia were eligible for trade 
preferences  under  GSP+.  35%  of  total  EU  imports  from  Armenia  effectively  used  GSP+ 
compared  to  22%  in  2014.  Armenia's  GSP+  utilisation  rate  (imports  that  effectively  used 
GSP+ divided by imports eligible for GSP+) increased from around 90% in 2014 to around 
93%  in  2016.  However,  usage  of  GSP+  is  concentrated  on  articles  of  aluminium  (EUR  53 
million) as well as iron and steel (EUR 49 million) which together made up around 95% of all 
EU imports from Armenia using GSP+ in 2016.  

Source for all statistics: Eurostat data as of September 2017.  

Figure 1 
Armenia - Imports to the EU, 2014-2017 

Figures in thousand EUR 

2014 

2015 

2016 

2017 (Q1-2) 

Total imports to EU 
GSP+ eligible imports 
GSP+ preferential imports 
GSP+ utilisation rate (%) 

192,932 
47,343 
42,435 
89.6% 

268,322 
115,211 
103,588 
89.9% 

310,034 
116,432 
107,772 
92.6% 

191,207 
73,575 
71,184 
96.8% 

Trend 
2014-2016 

60.7% 
145.9% 
154.0% 
3.3% 

16 

 
  
  
  
 
 
Armenia - Imports to the EU, 2014-2016 

268.322 

192.932 

38.61% 

21.99% 
2.54% 

4.33% 

75.46% 

57.06% 

310.034 

34.76% 

2.79% 

62.45% 

2014

2015

2016

GSP+ preferential imports

GSP+ eligible imports
which do not use GSP+
preferences

Other preferential and
non-preferential imports

Figure 2 

350.000

300.000

250.000

200.000

150.000

100.000

50.000

0

)
R
U
E
d
n
a
s
u
o
h
t
(

U
E
e
h
t
o
t

s
t
r
o
p
m

I

Figure 3 

Armenia -  
Product Diversification of GSP+ Preferential Imports, 2016  

1% 

1% 

2% 

1% 

46% 

Aluminium and articles thereof

49% 

Iron and steel

Tobacco

Beverages, spirits and vinegar

Preparations of vegetables, fruit,
nuts or other parts of plants

All other chapters

17 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ANNEX 

 Armenia – Treaty Ratification and Reporting  

Convention 

Status of ratification / 
reservations2 

Compliance with reporting obligations to monitoring 
bodies 

1. Convention on the 
Prevention and Punishment 
of the Crime of Genocide 

2. International Convention 
on the Elimination of All 
Forms of Racial 
Discrimination 

3. International Covenant on 
Civil and Political Rights 

Accession: 23.06.1993 

No reporting obligations 

No reservations 

Accession: 23.06.1993 

Compliant with reporting obligations 

No reservations 

Last report submitted on 29.12.2015. 

Accession: 23.06.1993 

Lack of compliance with reporting obligations 

No reservations 

Last report submitted on 28.04.2010. 

Latest report was due on 27.7.2016. 

4. International Covenant on 
Economic, Social and 
Cultural Rights 

Accession: 13.09.1993 

Compliant with reporting obligations 

No reservations 

Last report submitted on 16.07.2011.  

Next report due on 30.05.2019. 

Accession: 13.09.1993 

Compliant with reporting obligations 

No reservations 

Last report submitted on 11.03.2015. 

Accession: 13.09.1993 

Compliant with reporting obligations 

No reservations 

Last report submitted on 24.06.2015. 

Next report due on 07.12.2020. 

Accession: 23.06.1993  

Compliant with reporting obligations 

No reservations 

Last report submitted on 04.02.2010. 

Next report due on 22.01.2019. 

Ratification: 2004 

Compliant with reporting obligations 

Latest CEACR comments: Direct Request 2015. 

Ratification: 2006 

Compliant with reporting obligations 

Latest CEACR (ILO Committee of Experts on the 
Application of Conventions and Recommendations) 
comments: Direct Request 2016. 

Ratification: 2003 

Compliant with reporting obligations 

Latest CEACR comments: Direct Request 2016. 

5. Convention on the 
Elimination of All Forms of 
Discrimination against 
Women 

6. Convention against 
Torture and Other Cruel, 
Inhuman or Degrading 
Treatment or Punishment 

7. Convention on the Rights 
of the Child 

8. Convention concerning 
Forced or Compulsory 
Labour, No. 29 

9. Convention concerning 
Freedom of Association and 
Protection of the Right to 
Organise, No. 87 

10. Convention concerning 
the Application of the 
Principles of the Right to 
Organise and to Bargain 
Collectively, No. 98 

11. Convention concerning 

Ratification: 1994 

Compliant with reporting obligations 

2 Reservations do not apply in the ILO system, so there is no relevance to providing information on reservations under each 
of these conventions. 

18 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Equal Remuneration of Men 
and Women Workers for 
Work of Equal Value, No. 
100 

12. Convention concerning 
the Abolition of Forced 
Labour, No. 105 

13. Convention concerning 
Discrimination in Respect of 
Employment and 
Occupation, No. 111 

14. Convention concerning 
Minimum Age for 
Admission to Employment, 
No. 138 

15. Convention concerning 
Minimum Age for 
Admission to Employment, 
No. 182 

Latest CEACR comments: Observation 2016; Direct 
Request 2016. 

Ratification: 2004 

Compliant with reporting obligations 

Ratification: 1994 

Compliant with reporting obligations 

Ratification: 2006 

Compliant with reporting obligations 

Latest CEACR comments: Direct Request 2015. 

Ratification: 2006 

Compliant with reporting obligations 

16. CITES 

Accession: 10.04.2008 

Lack of compliance with reporting obligations 

No reservations 

Last Annual Report submitted on 01.10.2013. 

Annual Reports for 2013, 2014, 2016 due. 

Biennial Reports for 2011-12, 2013-14 due. 

17. Montreal Protocol 

Accession: 01.10.1999 

Compliant with reporting obligations 

No reservations 

Most recent annual data for 2016 was submitted. 

18. Basel Convention 

Accession: 01.10.1999 

Lack of compliance with reporting obligations 

No reservations 

National Reports of 2005, 2012 due. 

Last (2015) National Report submitted on 13.12.2015. 

19. Convention on 
Biological Diversity 

Accession: 14.05.1993 

Compliant with reporting obligations 

No reservations 

Latest (Fifth) National Report submitted on 04.09.2014. 

Revised National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 
submitted on 02.11.2016. 

20. UN Framework 
Convention on Climate 
Change 

Accession: 14.05.1993 

Compliant with reporting obligations 

No reservations 

First National Communication submitted on 04.11.1998. 

Second National Communication submitted on 
07.09.2010. 

Third National Communication submitted on 
22.04.2015. 

First Biennial Update Report submitted on 29.04.2016. 

21. Cartagena Protocol on 
Biosafety 

Accession: 30.04.2004   

Lack of compliance with reporting obligations 

No reservations 

First national report submitted on 11.09.2007. 

Second national report submitted on 09.12.2011.  

Third national report not submitted. 

22. Stockholm Convention 

Accession: 26.11.2003  

Compliant with reporting obligations 

No reservations 

Latest (Third) National Report submitted on 11.09.2014. 

23. Kyoto Protocol 

Accession: 25.04.2003 

No reporting obligations 

19 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
24. UN Single Convention 
on Narcotic Drugs 

25. UN Convention on 
Psychotropic Substances 

26. UN Convention against 
Illicit Traffic in Narcotic 
Drugs and Psychotropic 
Substances 

No reservations 

Accession: 13.09.1993 

No reservations 

Accession: 13.09.1993 

No reservations 

Accession: 13.09.1993 

No reservations 

Reviewing is fulfilled by the International Narcotics 
Control Board (INCB). 

27. UN Convention against 
Corruption 

Accession: 08.03.2007 

No reservations 

Reviewing is fulfilled by the UN Office on Drugs and 
Crime (UNODC). Latest UNODC review executive 
summary and UNODC Country review for the cycle 
2010-2015 published on 06.03.2015. 

20