ArmInfo. EU granting financial assistance issues for 2017-2020 were discussed In Yerevan.
According to the EU Delegation in Armenia, which received ArmInfo, a meeting of recounting commissions on a number of EU budget assistance programs was held in the Armenian capital on March 6- 7. In particular, the Ministry of Economic Development and Investments discussed the second stage of the Action Plan for Armenia within the framework of the European Neighborhood Policy and the program of professional development for the best jobs. The programs were discussed by Deputy Minister Garegin Melkonyan and the head of the department in the Directorate General of the European Commission for Expansion and Neighborhood Vasilis Maragos.
During the meeting of the re-verifying commission on programs for assistance to agriculture and rural development, as well as improving the policy of managing state finances, the sides discussed the implementation of agreements, as well as the expected reforms in the spheres.
The European Union is the number one donor for Armenia. More than 50% of financial support for various assistance programs in Armenia falls to the share of the EU. On an annual basis, this amount is about 50 million EUR, and since the independence of Armenia, the EU has allocated more than 500 million euros for these purposes. These data were presented at the press conference on October 24, 2016 by the head of the European delegation in Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Switalski. According to the ambassador, the bulk of financial assistance is provided in the form of budgetary assistance, which is an excellent indicator of Armenia's high rating in terms of financial management, performance and accountability. Perhaps, as noted Switalski, there is an opinion in the public that the EU probably does not have a "feedback" on the productivity of the funds provided. Meanwhile, according to him, the EU has a very strict methodology for estimating the amount of grant money. The EU budget assistance programs are very meticulously studied and, based on the analysis, conclusions are drawn regarding their productivity, as the EU is focused on making the process of European assistance to forthcoming reforms in Armenia more effective, he said.