The Council of Europe's Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has published a new Compliance Report on Armenia titled "Preventing Corruption and Promoting Integrity in Central Governments (Top Executive Functions) and Law Enforcement Agencies."

The report, adopted during GRECO's 103rd plenary meeting in June with the participation of the Armenian delegation, found that only six of the 22 recommendations had been implemented satisfactorily over the past 18 months, Factor.am reported.

According to the report, 15 recommendations were assessed as partly implemented, while one was found to be not implemented. The only recommendation assessed as not implemented concerns providing the Office of the Human Rights Defender with the resources necessary to carry out its whistleblower protection functions.

“GRECO does not classify the overall outcome of an evaluation as a ‘success’ or a ‘failure.’ Within the compliance procedure, its role is to assess, recommendation by recommendation, whether the measures taken by the evaluated state meet the objectives of each recommendation and the relevant Council of Europe standards,” the GRECO Secretariat said in response to a question about Armenia's overall progress.

Half of the recommendations concern senior executive officials, while the other half relate to the police. According to the report, progress differs significantly between the two areas.

Regarding the highest executive authorities, only one of the 11 recommendations was assessed as satisfactorily implemented. It concerns the status of unpaid advisers, who are now subject to the same code of conduct, conflict-of-interest prevention rules and asset declaration requirements as other public officials.

At the same time, the report notes "meaningful progress" in the police sector. Five of the 11 recommendations were found to have been satisfactorily implemented, including measures related to transparency, the anti-corruption programme, police training, the code of conduct and the independent investigation of violations.

GRECO classified 15 recommendations as only partly implemented, noting that most reforms remain at the legislative drafting or preparatory stage.

At the central government level, legislative amendments concerning integrity risk assessments, disclosure of lobbying contacts, tighter post-employment restrictions for officials and disciplinary accountability have not yet been finalized. Similar delays remain in the areas of access to information, protocol-related procurement and civil society participation, where new concepts and institutional arrangements have been developed but have not yet been formally adopted.

The report also notes that regulations governing accountability and sanctions for persons holding political office have not yet been fully adopted, leaving legislative gaps. In addition, GRECO says disciplinary accountability mechanisms should also apply to the prime minister, whereas the proposed amendments do not provide for this. It also stresses that the authority to impose sanctions should not rest solely with a superior but should instead be exercised through an independent and objective mechanism.

In the police sector, five additional recommendations were also assessed as partly implemented. These concern women's representation in leadership positions, the absence of a sustainable integrity screening system, the lack of legislation governing post-employment restrictions, limited human and material resources within the Internal Security Department, and incomplete reform of whistleblower protection mechanisms.

The only recommendation found to be entirely unimplemented concerns the role of the Human Rights Defender in whistleblower protection. Under current legislation, the Ombudsman's Office is authorized to provide confidential advice and legal assistance to whistleblowers, implement protective and remedial measures, and monitor the functioning of the protection system. However, the report's authors concluded that these responsibilities cannot be carried out effectively without sufficient financial and institutional resources.

“GRECO considers effective whistleblower protection an essential element of corruption prevention. This requires not only clear legal and operational mechanisms but also institutions with adequate capacity to fulfil the responsibilities assigned to them by law. At the time of the evaluation, GRECO concluded that the Ombudsman's Office had not been provided with sufficient institutional capacity to perform these duties effectively, noting in particular that only one staff member had been assigned to whistleblower issues. This formed the basis for assessing the recommendation as not implemented,” the GRECO Secretariat explained to Factor TV.

At the same time, GRECO positively noted that Armenia had addressed all recommendations relating to the highest executive authorities and highlighted the significant progress achieved within law enforcement agencies.

The next stage of the evaluation will continue, and Armenia must submit additional information on the implementation of the outstanding recommendations by December 31, 2027.