Key outcomes of Partnership for Good Governance Phase 2 are summarized

Deputy Minister of Justice Karen Karapetyan spoke about the programs implemented with the support of the European Union and the Council of Europe at the meeting of the local coordinating committee for the Eastern Partnership countries of the EU/CoE Partnership for Good Governance (PGG) 2023-2027.

The session was co-chaired by Martina Schmidt, head of the Council of Europe office in Yerevan, and Frank Hess, head of the Cooperation Section, representative of the European Union delegation in Armenia.

During the meeting, the main results of PGG II programs were summarized and PGG III programs were presented.

Deputy Minister of Justice Karen Karapetyan noted that the Ministry highly values the multi-level and multi-sectoral cooperation established with the European Union and the Council of Europe, as a result of which visible and tangible results were registered in the context of the protection of human rights, strengthening of democratic institutions and the rule of law.

Regarding the PGG program aimed at strengthening the justice Karen Karapetyan emphasized the importance of continuous support in the framework of judicial and legal reforms, particularly aimed at the development of the 2022-2026 strategy of judicial and legal reforms, the introduction of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and the development of legislation in the judicial sector.

At the same time, the deputy minister emphasized the support provided not only to law-making but also to law-implementation processes in the field of criminal justice, in particular, the development of the criminal and criminal procedure codes and the implementation of the electronic surveillance system necessary for the implementation of house arrest and administrative control from the disruptive measures introduced by them as an alternative to detention.

One of the most important components of PGG is the program "Strengthening the institutional capacity to fight and prevent corruption in Armenia", within the framework of which important achievements were recorded, in particular, the adoption of the anti-corruption strategy for 2019-2022, the development of the capacities of anti-corruption authorities, expert support for legislative reforms in the field, etc.

Referring to the actions aimed at the promotion of legal equality and the exclusion of discrimination within the framework of the PGG, Karen Karapetyan noted that the systematic mapping of hate speech regulations and the review of existing legal regulations in the field of fighting against hate speech were successfully carried out.

The deputy minister emphasized the importance of the PGG III program for further support to the above-mentioned areas, as well as presented the recommendations and vision of the Ministry of Justice within the framework of future cooperation.