SESSION DEDICATED TO THE DISCUSSION OF ARMENIA-EU FREE TRADE AGREEMENT CALLED TODAY
ARMENPRESS
Feb 18, 2009
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS: With the participation of EU
fact-finding mission a session dedicated to the discussion of
Armenia-EU free trade agreement was called today in Yerevan.
The European representative delegation, which includes 23 experts,
is headed by the head of bilateral trade relations of chief trade
directorate of EU commission Eva Sinovic. Representatives of all the
interested institutions of the country took part in the discussion.
According to Armenian Economy Minister Nerses Yeritsian, the
discussions are mainly dedicated to the negotiations on the profound
and holistic agreement of free trade which involves all the economic
fields and the trade regimes.
"If the agreement is reached we must have a schedule and by
implementing this it will be possible to ensure an environment of
European standards (legislative, business and institutional) for
Armenian exporters",- the Minister said.
According to N. Yeritsian, the issue is not in the legislation but in
its implementation and the institutional abilities of the country. "We
must be able to ensure the implementation of the laws and first of
all to overcome the technical barriers of trade – certification,
standardizing and investment in knowledge," he said.
The second object of attention is the sphere of protection of
intellectual property. There are also institutional issues to be
solved in the competitive field.
"There are less issues from the legislative part than from the
implementation part, and during the negotiations it is possible to
get a very intensive and quick technical support from the European
side and to strengthen our abilities, to finish negotiations in a
right way",- minister N. Yeritsian said.
Head of the expert group E. Sinovic said that the delegation aims at
talking to Armenian authorities about smoothening of existing issues.
The new – Eastern partnership initiative suggested by EU is a more
extended variant of the Neighborhood policy during which an attempt
will be made to modernize and develop the agreement relations between
Armenia and EU. The preparatory works of the program have already shown
what kind of free trade agreements should be signed with Armenia. The
mission aims at finding out which are the circles of economic reforms
of the country and how the corrections of the program are possible
to be conducted jointly, as well as at preserving the stability of
already reached agreements. E. Sinovic expressed hope for deep and
multilateral discussions.
During the meetings which are planned by February 19, discussions
are intended on tariff and non tariff, technical obstacles of trade,
rules of origins of the goods, right of intellectual property, state
purchases, protection of economic competition, regulation of trade
disputes, stable development and on other issues.