€3.5 mln EU grant to support justice reforms in Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Union on Friday, June 7 paid €3.5 mln grant to Armenia within a €11mln program on Support to Justice Reforms, the EU delegation to the country said.

The programme aims to support Armenia’s justice sector reform process in line with the country’s commitments under the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) (Articles 4 and 12), the EU’s best practices, as well as the recommendations stemming from the EU-Armenia Strategic Policy Dialogue in the Justice sector.

The payment marks an important step in terms of recognition of progress in the justice sector reform agenda - improved accountability and integrity, in particular through the continuation of integrity checks for judges and prosecutors and introduction of regular integrity checks of all sitting prosecutors, judges, and investigators, improved efficiency and accessibility/access to justice via integrated e-justice system and the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms, as well as introduction of comprehensive evaluation, appointment and appeal mechanisms for judges, prosecutors and investigators.

It highlights the continued extraordinary commitment of all relevant stakeholders i.e. Ministry of Justice, Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), Corruption Prevention Commission (CPC), Prosecutor General Office, National Assembly and CSOs.

Further comprehensive and systemic policy and efforts, alongside capacity-building in justice sector institutions are needed to enforce the changes.