NERSES YERITSYAN ON FREE TRADE WITH EU: NOT THE LAWS BUT THEIR IMPLEMENTATION IS THE PROBLEM

PanARMENIAN.Net
18.02.2009 14:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenia-European Commission held a meeting
in Yerevan Wednesday to map out a preparatory process for future
negotiations on free trade agreement.

The meeting was presided over by RA Economy Minister Nerses Yeritsyan
and Mrs. Ewa Synowiec from the EC Directorate General for Trade.

"This meeting is crucial to the further integration of Armenian
business into European markets," Minister Yeritsyan said.

He added that EC requested a report on the influence of free trade
agreement implementation on Armenia’s economic growth.

Asked whether Armenia’s legislative framework is ready for conclusion
of the agreement, Nerses Yeritsyan said that not the laws themselves,
but their implementation is the problem.

The Minister noted that a thorough work will be conducted in
the following directions: overcoming technical trade barriers:
certification, standardization, hygiene and sanitary, requiring
substantial investments into corresponding substructures, creation
of laboratories, contributions to science as well as creation of
legislative framework for intellectual property protection.

He added that institutional changes in the sphere of state purchasing
and competitive environment are also in order.

According to the Minister, the EU is committed to continue assistance
to Armenia to speed up the process of reforms envisaged by the European
Neighborhood Policy.