Armenia will soon apply for membership in the European Union, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in parliament on Monday. He did not specify the timing but noted that to put the issue of EU membership to a national referendum, the country must first submit an official application. This requires a lot of work, and we will probably start this process in the near future, Pashinyan said.
According to Pashinyan, the decision was influenced by «calls coming from partners in the Eurasian Economic Union». This refers to a joint statement by the leaders of other countries in the bloc led by Russia, published in May. They called on Armenia to hold a referendum as soon as possible on joining the European Union or maintaining membership in the Eurasian Economic Union. A similar call was made a few weeks earlier by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Criticism of the EAEU and Russian pressure
Earlier this month, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin stated that Armenia must announce a referendum by the end of this year. Prime Minister Pashinyan has consistently opposed holding a referendum before applying for EU membership, arguing that it makes no sense.
«This would mean that we expect the citizens of Armenia to choose between two options, one of which does not exist. This would be disrespectful to our people», Pashinyan said at the Eurasian Economic Union summit earlier this month.
At the same event, he sharply criticized the EAEU for failing to fulfill its fundamental principles. «One of the fundamental principles of the Eurasian Economic Union is to ensure the free movement of goods, services, capital, and labor. Unfortunately, in practice, these principles are not fully implemented», Pashinyan noted.
He likely referred to large-scale restrictions on Armenian goods gradually introduced since April. Many observers saw them as measures in response to Armenia’s increasingly pro-Western foreign policy. The restrictions affected almost all of Armenia’s agri-food exports, which have been supplied mainly to Russia for decades, causing significant economic difficulties.
Armenia’s path to EU membership
Although Armenia has not yet applied for EU membership, in March of last year it adopted a non-binding law known as the Law on Integration into the EU. The document declared Yerevan’s aspiration to become a member of the European Union but did not set specific deadlines.
EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos stated last year that there are two conditions for any country wishing to apply for EU membership: «it must be a sovereign state and be located in Europe». In a separate interview, she added: «Armenia is European».
The European Union in its current form was established in 1993. The EU last admitted a new member in 2013, when Croatia joined the bloc.
In an interview with CivilNet in September last year, Marta Kos explained that for about a decade after Croatia’s accession, the EU was reluctant to admit new members, but the situation has now changed. According to her, 23 out of 27 EU member states support further expansion. «Potential expansion is not about gaining more square kilometers or people, but about ensuring peace, freedom, and prosperity», she said.
The path to full EU membership from the moment of submitting an official application takes an average of nine years, but can last up to 14 years, as was the case with Malta and Cyprus.
Among the current candidates for membership are Armenia’s northern neighbor Georgia, as well as Moldova, Ukraine, Albania, and the Western Balkan countries that have not yet joined the EU. Montenegro is considered the closest to joining the European Union.
To join the European Union, a country must meet a broad list of requirements known as the Copenhagen Criteria. These include, among other things, stable democratic institutions, the rule of law, respect for human rights, respect for and protection of minority rights, and a functioning market economy. Candidate countries fulfill these requirements within the framework of negotiations with Brussels.
Source: CIVILNET
