ARMENIA MAY INCREASE ITS PRESENCE IN EU MARKET
Noyan Tapan
Dec 19 2006
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian-European Policy
and Legal Advice Centre (AEPLAC) is making an analysis to determine
the format of further entry of Armenian products into the European
market. The ARPLAC Director Tigran Jrbashian stated this at the
December 19 press conference. According to him, the Armenia-EU Action
Plan outlines the conditions, in case of meeting which Armenia
may increase its presence in the EU market, which is the largest
one in terms of its purchasing power: the total population of EU
countries is 450 million, the annual GDP per capita is 15 thousand
dollars. Particularly, the matter concerns the Armenian food industry’s
production, whose quality and safety certification procedures have
been brought into line with European standards, with appropriate
laboratory conditions being created. It was mentioned that at the
present time Armenis uses the privileges envisaged by the General
System of Preferences, which allows exporters to save up to 4.5 mln
euros in importing goods into EU countries. T. Jrbashian said that
in the future Armenia-EU relations may develop under such formats as
a free trade agreement, a customs union or "European economic areal".