The protection of forests,
The conservation of biodiversity, protected areas and sustainable use and management of biological resources,
Land-use planning, including construction and urban planning,
Use of economic and fiscal instruments,
Global climate change,
Environmental education and awareness,
Technical assistance concerning rehabilitation of zones affected by radioactivity and addressing related health and social problems,
Implementation of the Espoo Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a transboundary context.
3. Cooperation shall take place particularly through:
Disaster planning and other emergency situations,
Exchange of information and experts, including information and experts dealing with the transfer of clean technologies and the safe and environmentally sound use of biotechnologies,
Joint research activities,
Improvement of laws towards Community standards,
Environmental training and institutional strengthening,
Cooperation at regional level, including cooperation within the framework of the European Environment Agency, and at international level,
Development of strategies, particularly with regard to global and climatic issues and also with a view to achieving sustainable development,
Environmental impact studies.
Article 56. Transport
The Parties shall develop and strengthen their cooperation in the field of transport.
This cooperation shall, inter alia, aim at restructuring and modernising transport systems and networks in the Republic of Armenia, and developing and ensuring, where appropriate, compatibility of transportation systems in the context of achieving a more global transport system. Particular consideration shall be given to the functioning of all traditional communications links among Independent States in the Transcaucasus region and with other neighbouring states.
The cooperation shall include, inter alia:
The modernising of management and operations of road transport, railways, ports and airports,
Modernisation and development of railways, waterways, roads, ports, airports and air navigation infrastructure including the modernisation of major routes of common interest and the trans-European links for the above modes, particularly those related to the Traceca project,
Promotion and development of multimodal transport,
The promotion of joint research and development programmes,
Preparation of the legislative and institutional framework for policy development and implementation including privatisation of the transport sector.
Article 57. Postal Services and Telecommunications
Within their respective powers and competences the Parties
Shall expand and strengthen cooperation in the following
Areas:
The establishment of policies and guidelines for the development of the telecommunications sector and postal services,
Development of principles of a tariff policy and marketing in telecommunications and postal services,
Carry out transfer of technology and know how, including on European technical standards and certification systems,
Encouraging the development of projects for
Telecommunications and postal services and attracting investment,
Enhancing efficiency and quality of the provision of telecommunications and postal services, amongst others through liberalisation of activities of sub-sectors,
Advanced application of telecommunications, notably in the area of electronic funds transfer,
Management of telecommunications networks and their optimisation,
An appropriate regulatory basis for the provision of telecommunications and postal services and for the use of the radio frequency spectrum,
Training in the field of telecommunications and postal services for operations in market conditions.
Article 58. Financial Services
Cooperation shall in particular aim at facilitating the involvement of the Republic of Armenia in universally accepted systems of mutual settlements. Technical assistance shall focus on:
The development of banking and financial services, the development of a common market of credit resources, the involvement of the Republic of Armenia in a universally accepted system of mutual settlements,
The development of a fiscal system and its institutions in the Republic of Armenia, exchange of experience and personnel training,
The development of insurance services, which would, inter alia, create a favourable framework for Community companies' participation in the establishment of joint ventures in the insurance sector in the Republic of Armenia, as well as the development of export credit insurance.
This cooperation shall in particular contribute to foster the development of relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Member States in the financial services sector.
Article 59. Regional Development
1. The Parties shall strengthen cooperation on regional development and land-use planning.
2. To this end, the Parties shall encourage the exchange of information by national, regional and local authorities on regional and land-use planning policy and on methods of formulation of regional policies with special emphasis on the development of disadvantaged areas.
They shall also encourage direct contacts between the respective regions and public organisations responsible for regional development planning with the aim, inter alia, to exchange methods and ways of fostering regional development.
Article 60. Social Cooperation
1. With regard to health and safety, the Parties shall develop cooperation between them with the aim of improving the level of protection of the health and safety of workers.
The cooperation shall include notably:
Education and training on health and safety issues with specific attention to high risk sectors of activity,
Development and promotion of preventive measures to combat work-related diseases and other work-related ailments,
Prevention of major accident hazards and the management of toxic chemicals,
Research to develop the knowledge base in relation to working environment and the health and safety of workers.
2. With regard to employment, the cooperation shall include notably technical assistance to:
Optimisation of the labour market,
Modernisation of the job-finding and consulting services,
Planning and management of the restructuring programmes,
Encouragement of local employment development,
Exchange of information on the programmes of flexible employment, including those stimulating self-employment and promoting entrepreneurship.
3. The Parties shall pay special attention to cooperation in the sphere of social protection which, inter alia, shall include cooperation in planning and implementing social protection reforms in the Republic or Armenia.
These reforms shall aim to develop in the Republic of Armenia methods of protection intrinsic to market economies and shall comprise all forms of social protection.
Article 61. Tourism
The Parties shall increase and develop cooperation between them, which shall include:
Facilitating the tourist trade,
Increasing the flow of information,
Transferring know-how,
Studying the opportunities for joint operations,
Cooperation between official tourism bodies,
Training for tourism development.
Article 62. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
1. The Parties shall aim to develop and strengthen small and medium-sized enterprises and their associations and cooperation between SMEs in the Community and the Republic of Armenia.
2. Cooperation shall include technical assistance, in particular in the following areas:
The development of a legislative framework for SMEs,
The development of an appropriate infrastructure (an agency to support SMEs, communications, assistance to the creation of a fund for SMEs),
The development of technology parks.
Article 63. Information and Communication
The Parties shall support the development of modern methods of information handling, including the media, and stimulate the effective mutual exchange of information. Priority shall be given to programmes aimed at providing the general public with basic information about the Community and the Republic of Armenia, including, where possible, access to databases, in full respect of intellectual property rights.
Article 64. Consumer Protection
The Parties will enter into close cooperation aimed at achieving compatibility between their systems of consumer protection. This cooperation may include the exchange of information on legislative work and institutional reform, establishment of permanent systems of mutual information on dangerous products, the improvement of information provided to consumers especially on prices, characteristics of products and services offered, the development of exchanges between the consumer interest representatives, and increasing the compatibility of consumer protection policies, and the organisation of seminars and training periods.
Article 65. Customs
1. The aim of cooperation shall be to guarantee compliance with all the provisions scheduled for adoption in connection with trade and fair trade and to achieve the approximation of the Republic of Armenia's customs system to that of the Community.
2. Cooperation shall include the following in particular:
The exchange of information,
The improvement of working methods,
The introduction of the Combined Nomenclature and the single administrative document,
The interconnection between the transit systems of the Community and the Republic of Armenia,
Simplification of inspections and formalities in respect of the carriage of goods,
Support for the introduction of modern customs information systems,
The organisation of seminars and training periods.
Technical assistance shall be provided where necessary.
3. Without prejudice to further cooperation foreseen in this Agreement and in particular Articles 69 and 71, mutual assistance in customs matters between administrative authorities of the Parties shall take place in accordance with the provisions of the Protocol attached to this Agreement.
Article 66. Statistical Cooperation
Cooperation in this area shall have as its aim the development of an efficient statistical system to provide the reliable statistics needed to support and monitor the process of economic reform and contribute to the development of private enterprise in the Republic of Armenia.
The Parties, in particular, shall cooperate in the following fields:
Adaptation of the Armenian statistical system to international methods, standards and classification,
Exchange of statistical information,
Provision of necessary statistical macro-and microeconomic information to implement and manage economic reforms.
The Community shall contribute to this end by rendering technical assistance to the Republic of Armenia.
Article 67. Economics
The Parties shall facilitate the process of economic reform and the coordination of economic policies by cooperating to improve understanding of the fundamentals of their respective economies and the design and implementation of economic policy in market economies. To this end, the Parties shall exchange information on macroeconomic performance and prospects.
The Community shall provide technical assistance so as to:
Assist the Republic of Armenia in the process of economic reform by providing expert advisory and technical assistance,
Encourage cooperation among economists in order to expedite the transfer of know-how for the drafting of economic policies, and provide for wide dissemination of policy-relevant research.
Article Title VII. Cooperation on Matters Relating to Democracy and Human Rights
Article 68.
The Parties shall cooperate on all questions relevant to the establishment or reinforcement of democratic institutions, including those required in order to strengthen the rule of law, and the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms according to international law and OSCE principles.
This cooperation shall take the form of technical assistance programmes intended to assist, inter alia, in the drafting of relevant legislation and regulations; the implementation of such legislation; the functioning of the judiciary; the role of the State in questions of justice; and the operation of the electoral system. They may include training where appropriate. The Parties shall encourage contacts and exchanges between their national, regional and judicial authorities, parliamentarians, and non-governmental organisations.
Article Title VIII. Cooperation on Prevention of Illegal Activities and the Prevention and Control of Illegal Immigration
Article 69.
The Parties shall establish cooperation aimed at preventing illegal activities such as:
Illegal activities in the sphere of economics, including corruption,
Illegal transactions of various goods, including industrial waste,
Counterfeiting.
Cooperation in the abovementioned areas will be based on mutual consultation and close interaction. Technical and administrative assistance may be provided, including in the following areas:
Drafting of national legislation in the sphere of preventing illegal activities,
Creation of information centres,
Increasing the efficiency of institutions engaged in preventing illegal activities,
Training of personnel and development of research infrastructures,
Elaboration of mutually acceptable measures impeding illegal activities.
Article 70. Money Laundering
1. The Parties agree on the necessity of making efforts and cooperating in order to prevent the use of their financial systems for laundering of proceeds from criminal activities in general and drug offences in particular.
2. Cooperation in this area shall include administrative and technical assistance with the purpose of establishing suitable standards against money laundering equivalent to those adopted by the Community and international forums in this field, including the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Article 71. Drugs
Within the framework of their respective powers and competencies the Parties shall cooperate in increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of policies and measures to counter the illicit production, supply and traffic of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, including the prevention of diversion of precursor chemicals, as well as in promoting drug demand prevention and reduction. The cooperation in this area shall be based on mutual consultation and close coordination between the Parties over the objectives and measures on the various drug-related fields.
Article 72. Illegal Immigration
1. The Member States and the Republic of Armenia agree to cooperate in order to prevent and control illegal immigration. To this end:
The Republic of Armenia agrees to readmit any of its nationals illegally present on the territory of a Member State, upon request by the latter and without further formalities,
And each Member State agrees to readmit any of its nationals, as defined for community purposes, illegally present on the territory of the Republic of Armenia, upon request by the latter and without further formalities.
The Member States and the Republic of Armenia will also provide their nationals with appropriate identity documents for such purposes.
2. The Republic of Armenia agrees to conclude bilateral agreements with Member States which so request, regulating specific obligations for readmission including an obligation for the readmission of nationals of other countries and stateless persons who have arrived on the territory of any such Member State from the Republic of Armenia or who have arrived on the territory of the Republic of Armenia from any such Member State.
3. The Cooperation Council shall examine what other joint efforts can be made to prevent and control illegal immigration.
Article Title IX. Cultural Cooperation
Article 73.
The Parties undertake to promote, encourage and facilitate cultural cooperation. Where appropriate, the Community's cultural cooperation programmes or those of one or more Member States may be the subject of cooperation and further activities of mutual interest may be developed.
Article Title X. Financial Cooperation In the Field of Technical Assistance
Article 74.
In order to achieve the objectives of this Agreement and in accordance with Articles 75, 76 and 77, the Republic of Armenia shall benefit from temporary financial assistance from the Community by way of technical assistance in the form of grants. The purpose of this assistance shall be to accelerate the economic transformation of the Republic of Armenia.
Article 75.
This financial assistance shall be covered within the framework of TACIS as foreseen in the Community's relevant Council regulation.
Article 76.
The objectives and the areas of the Community's financial assistance shall be laid down in an indicative programme reflecting established priorities to be agreed between the two Parties taking into account the Republic of Armenia's needs, sectoral absorption capacities and progress with reform. The Parties shall inform the Cooperation Council thereof.
Article 77.
In order to permit optimum use of the resources available, the Parties shall ensure that Community technical assistance contributions are made in close coordination with those from other sources such as the Member States, other countries, and international organisations such as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Article Title XI. Institutional, General and Final Provisions
Article 78.
A Cooperation Council is hereby established which shall supervise the implementation of this Agreement. It shall meet at ministerial level once a year. It shall examine any major issues arising within the framework of this Agreement and any other bilateral or international issues of mutual interest for the purpose of attaining the objectives of this Agreement. The Cooperation Council may also make appropriate recommendations, by agreement between the two Parties.