Despite the Armenian parliament’s approval in March of a bill declaring the start of the country’s accession process to the European Union, the government has not taken any further action toward that goal, a senior official confirmed Friday.
The symbolic one-sentence law, passed by the National Assembly dominated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party, states the intention to begin the process of joining the EU. It was adopted in the face of strong objections from Russia, Armenia’s traditional ally.
Officials in Yerevan have insisted the bill does not constitute a formal application for EU membership. However, they have yet to specify what concrete measures, if any, will follow its passage.
The legislation originated from several pro-Western civic groups aligned with Pashinyan. Last year, they gathered 60,000 signatures in support of holding a referendum on EU membership. In January, Pashinyan stated that such a referendum should only take place once Armenia and the EU develop a formal roadmap for accession.
So far, no EU member state has publicly backed Armenia’s potential membership. The European Commission has also remained noncommittal. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos remarked last week, “We haven’t received the [membership] application yet, but then we will see.”
Moscow has reacted sharply to Yerevan’s move. Russia’s Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu warned in March that Armenia’s pursuit of EU membership could trigger its exit from the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), a Russia-led trade bloc that grants Armenia tariff-free access to the Russian market. He threatened retaliatory measures, including high tariffs on Armenian exports and the mass expulsion of Armenian migrant workers, which he claimed could slash Armenia’s GDP by a third.
