EU representative: Although Armenia is not a candidate country for EU  accession, Armenia`s aspirations for EU integration are much stronger  than those of other neighboring countries

ArmInfo. Although Armenia is not a candidate country for EU accession, its partnership with the EU and Armenia's aspirations for EU integration are much  stronger than those of other neighboring countries, as stated by SIGMA Project Manager Gregor Virant on December 10, while presenting  the results of the SIGMA program for a comprehensive assessment of the public administration system to parliamentary committees.

As reported by the press service of the National Assembly of Armenia,  Virant pointed out that the program is currently being implemented  with eight EU candidate countries and nine European Neighborhood  countries. Among the reforms, the rapporteur particularly highlighted  reforms in the public administration sector, He presented in detail  the report, assessment criteria, as well as the country's progress  and challenges in the public administration sector. "I believe the  governance system has both strengths and weaknesses. One of the  strengths is digitalization and transparency, but there are also  weaknesses in the civil service sector," the rapporteur stated,  assuring that they will continue to support the development of this  sector within their mandate. He praised the work of the legislative  body, noting that legislative work in the Armenian parliament is  transparent.

Meanwhile, as Igle Rimkute, Regional Manager of the EU SIGMA Eastern  Neighborhood Program, noted in her speech, the accessibility of laws  in Armenia is very high. "Armenia is a champion among the countries  we assessed as all laws, decrees adopted by the government, even  ministerial decisions, are freely available online. Armenia serves as  a good example," Igle Rimkute stated.

The Head of the EU Delegation, Ambassador Vassilis Maragos, assured  that the EU Delegation is ready to support the work of SIGMA. As part  of the report, Armenia was assessed using the same methodology and  criteria as countries undergoing EU integration. All public  administration bodies were actively involved in the SIGMA assessment  process. Work will begin soon on developing a new Public  Administration Reform Strategy based on the recommendations of the  report.

It should be noted that SIGMA is a joint program of the European  Union and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development  (OECD), aiming to work on public administration reforms for countries  participating in the EU integration process. The event was attended  by NA members,  staff representatives, and international donor  organizations.