Environmental Impact Assessments to be liberalized in Armenia

ArmInfo.  Environmental impact assessments will be liberalized in Armenia. At its April 30 meeting,  the National Assembly's Committee on Territorial Administration,  Local Self-Government, Agriculture, and Environmental Protection  issued a positive opinion on the amendments to the Law "On  Environmental Impact Assessment" submitted by the RA government.

According to Deputy Minister of Environment Ara Mkrtchyan, an EIA is  currently required for work carried out in areas adjacent to forested  areas where afforestation is permitted, for which a state fee of  300,000 drams is charged. Now, it is proposed to exempt organizations  that undertake afforestation at their own expense from paying the  state fee. This measure, as the Deputy Minister noted, is  particularly relevant given the Conference of the Parties to the UN  Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-17), which will take place in  Yerevan from October 19 to 30, 2026.

Another amendment concerns the construction of kindergartens and  educational complexes in each specific residential area. An EIA is  also required for this work. According to the legislative initiative,  if a feasibility study and the relevant permits are available, an  environmental impact assessment will no longer be required, which  will facilitate the successful implementation of the government's  program for the construction and renovation of kindergartens and  schools.

The third amendment concerns Armenia's international obligations,  including those under the Aarhus Convention. Several provisions of  the current law are aligned with this convention and other  international documents. The Convention Secretariat has set a  deadline for Armenia to adopt the law in May of this year.   Otherwise, sanctions will be imposed against the country.