ArmInfo.In reality, there are fewer obstacles to exporting Armenian products to the EU market than is commonly assumed. A similar opinion was expressed in an interview by Deputy Minister of Economy of Armenia Rafayel Gevorgyan.
He tried to dispel the myth that European quality standards are insurmountable for Armenian producers. "If there is a desire to export to Europe, all issues related to certification can be resolved in Armenia, even within the existing infrastructure in our country," said the deputy minister. At the same time, he attached importance to the ongoing work on mutual recognition of quality certificates between Armenia and the EU. In this regard, he recalled the results of the meeting of the Armenia-EU Trade Committee, during which a desire for mutual recognition of certificates for a number of goods was expressed. "So that certificates issued by the State Food Safety Service or another inspection body are accepted in EU without the need for additional tests," Gevorgyan said.
The deputy head of the department noted that achieving mutual recognition of certificates is a long process, involving regular audits by European partners, studying our accreditation system, various preventive measures, etc.
At the same time, Geforgyan noted that in certain areas, Armenian manufacturers are ready for European quality standards. As an example, he named the wine industry. "Our laboratories issue certificates for wine in order to export it to Europe," said the deputy minister.
Gevorgyan pointed out logistics costs as a real obstacle in the context of exporting to the EU market, which makes exporting to Europe impractical in many cases.
At the same time, drawing a parallel with neighboring Georgia, which has a free trade agreement with the EU, the deputy minister noted that, nevertheless, the neighboring countries are in the list of TOP-5 export partners. "That is, the logistics connections that you have in your region are more important," he noted. Speaking about the competitiveness of Armenian goods on the European market, he noted that this can be judged by the volume of trade turnover. In this regard, the deputy minister noted that the indicators are certainly unsatisfactory, however, many Armenian manufacturers have no problems entering the EU market.
A few days ago, the European Commission decided to allow the export of composite products containing milk and/or eggs produced in Armenia to the EU markets.
According to the Statistics Committee, Armenia's foreign trade turnover with EU countries in January- November 2023 increased by 22.9%, exceeding $2.4 billion. At the same time, exports decreased by 5.5% to $677.9 million, while imports grew by 38.5% to $1.8 billion. The share of EU countries in the list of Armenia's main trading partners accounts for 13.9%, compared to 16.1% a year earlier for the same period.
