Armenia to formally apply to join the European Union, prime minister says

Armenia’s prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, announced that Yerevan will soon submit a formal application to join the European Union, a move he called an essential step ahead of a planned national referendum on EU accession.

Pashinyan said the formal candidacy will make it possible to draw up a concrete timetable of reforms and to evaluate the country’s real prospects for membership. He framed the decision as part of a broader strategic reorientation rather than as an explicitly anti-Russian gesture, describing the shift as "natural".

From initial moves to a formal bid

The rapprochement with Brussels began formally in March 2025, when Armenia’s parliament passed a law to start the integration process. Separately, Yerevan and EU institutions are negotiating visa liberalization, with full implementation targeted by 2029.

Pashinyan has also criticised recent Russian trade restrictions on some Armenian goods, calling those measures a "crisis" for the Eurasian Economic Union. Moscow and other EAEU partners have urged Armenia to hold a referendum that frames the choice as "Either the EU or the Eurasian Economic Union", a demand the Kremlin has voiced publicly.

Officials in Yerevan argue that adopting European standards could strengthen the domestic economy, even as experts and EAEU representatives warn that EU accession would be incompatible with continued membership in the Eurasian Economic Union and could affect Armenia’s access to Russian markets.

Polling from 2026 indicates growing public support for closer ties with the EU: 72 percent of respondents rated Armenia–EU relations as good, 56 percent said they trust the Union, 54 percent backed EU membership, and 63 percent believed membership would bring more benefits than drawbacks. Meanwhile, Yerevan is deepening international partnerships and pursuing a peace agreement with Azerbaijan alongside efforts to normalise relations with Turkey.

Photo: Arhiva na