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FRENCH POLITICAL SCIENTIST: ARMENIA ACCESSING CUSTOMS UNION NOT FOR ECONOMIC REASONS
by Ashot Safaryan
http://www.arminfo.am/index.cfm?objectid=E5D6E8B0-9E17-11E3-8E690EB7C0D21663
Tuesday, February 25, 15:25
Armenia decided to access the Customs Union for security reasons
rather than economic benefits, said Laure Delcour, a French political
scientist, in an interview with RFE/RL Armenia Service.
According to her, Armenia really sought to meet the EU standards as
it applied for participation in the EU partnership project. It was
a clear goal for Armenia then, following the conflict in Georgia
and the failed efforts to normalize relations with Turkey, Delcour
said. She thinks the situation is quite different now and the EU is
reluctant to revise its offers for Armenia.
The political scientist studying the poverty and migration problems,
conflicts and domestic policy in the country is sure that nearly
four-year-long negotiations with the EU were not in vain. Armenia
has launched a series of reforms in the course of the negotiations
for the Association Agreement and DCFTA but has not completed them.
Nevertheless, Delcour is sure that those reforms will have certain
impact on the country. She thinks that it will be hard for Armenia to
transfer from the EU standards to the Russian ones, for instance in
the field of food safety where Armenia has carried out quite serious
reforms to bring the field in line with the EU requirements. Now, the
country has to bring the field in line with the Russian standards
that are quite different. This process will be financially and
administratively complicated for Armenia.
Asked to comment on further financing of some Armenia-related projects
after the failure to sign the Association Agreement and DCFTA with
the EU, Laure Delcour said that the EU Neighborhood Program does not
end with the Association Agreement. There are countries, for instance
Azerbaijan or Belarus that have not even launched any negotiations
for the free trade agreement. The EU implements many other projects
with the partner-countries. Consequently, the AA and DCFTA is just
part of the EU's projects and the cooperartion with Armenia will be
continued in other fields, Delcour said.
The French expert called Armenia's decision to access the CU
quite unexpected for the EU, which had no plan B. Now, the EU has
to draw such plan for the countries that may not sign the AA and
DCFTA. This plan will be drafted for Armenia, first, as the country
has successfully completed the negotiation process unlike Azerbaijan
and Belarus, Delcour said.
by Ashot Safaryan
http://www.arminfo.am/index.cfm?objectid=E5D6E8B0-9E17-11E3-8E690EB7C0D21663
Tuesday, February 25, 15:25
Armenia decided to access the Customs Union for security reasons
rather than economic benefits, said Laure Delcour, a French political
scientist, in an interview with RFE/RL Armenia Service.
According to her, Armenia really sought to meet the EU standards as
it applied for participation in the EU partnership project. It was
a clear goal for Armenia then, following the conflict in Georgia
and the failed efforts to normalize relations with Turkey, Delcour
said. She thinks the situation is quite different now and the EU is
reluctant to revise its offers for Armenia.
The political scientist studying the poverty and migration problems,
conflicts and domestic policy in the country is sure that nearly
four-year-long negotiations with the EU were not in vain. Armenia
has launched a series of reforms in the course of the negotiations
for the Association Agreement and DCFTA but has not completed them.
Nevertheless, Delcour is sure that those reforms will have certain
impact on the country. She thinks that it will be hard for Armenia to
transfer from the EU standards to the Russian ones, for instance in
the field of food safety where Armenia has carried out quite serious
reforms to bring the field in line with the EU requirements. Now, the
country has to bring the field in line with the Russian standards
that are quite different. This process will be financially and
administratively complicated for Armenia.
Asked to comment on further financing of some Armenia-related projects
after the failure to sign the Association Agreement and DCFTA with
the EU, Laure Delcour said that the EU Neighborhood Program does not
end with the Association Agreement. There are countries, for instance
Azerbaijan or Belarus that have not even launched any negotiations
for the free trade agreement. The EU implements many other projects
with the partner-countries. Consequently, the AA and DCFTA is just
part of the EU's projects and the cooperartion with Armenia will be
continued in other fields, Delcour said.
The French expert called Armenia's decision to access the CU
quite unexpected for the EU, which had no plan B. Now, the EU has
to draw such plan for the countries that may not sign the AA and
DCFTA. This plan will be drafted for Armenia, first, as the country
has successfully completed the negotiation process unlike Azerbaijan
and Belarus, Delcour said.