EU adopts Strategic Agenda to deepen Armenia partnership

The Council of the European Union has adopted Council Decision (EU) 2026/2060 of 20 November 2025, setting the position to be taken on the Union’s behalf within the EU-Armenia Partnership Council on the adoption of the Strategic Agenda for the EU-Armenia Partnership. The decision, published in the Official Journal of the European Union (L series, 15 September 2026), backs a draft recommendation that replaces the previous EU-Armenia Partnership Priorities with a more ambitious cooperation framework.

The Agenda is anchored in the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), signed in November 2017 and in force since 1 March 2021, which serves as the blueprint for democratic institution-building in Armenia. It was formally endorsed through Recommendation No 1/2025 of the EU-Armenia Partnership Council of 1 December 2025, which supersedes Recommendation No 1/2017 of 20 November 2017.

A two-horizon cooperation framework

The Strategic Agenda sets out concrete objectives divided into short-term priorities, to be implemented or advanced within 3–4 years, and medium-term priorities to be delivered within 7 years. It will apply from the moment of its adoption by the Partnership Council and may be amended by mutual agreement.

Short-term priorities: 3–4 years
Medium-term priorities: 7 years
Implementation monitored, reported on annually and assessed
Civil society encouraged to track progress via the EU-Armenia Civil Society Platform

The Agenda is intended to be the basis for programming Union assistance, including under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe (Regulation (EU) 2021/947). It is not itself a financial programming document.

Six priority areas and a new security dimension

The Agenda organises cooperation around six thematic blocks: democracy, human rights and good governance; freedom, mobility and security; foreign and security policy; economic and sectoral cooperation; trade and trade-related matters; and people-to-people contact. For the first time, security and defence appear as a dedicated area of cooperation, reflecting the volatile regional situation.

Democracy, Human Rights and Good Governance — rule of law, justice reform, anti-corruption
Freedom, Mobility and Security — visa liberalisation dialogue, migration, fight against organised crime
Foreign and Security Policy — regional normalisation, CSDP cooperation, the EU Mission in Armenia (EUMA)
Economic and Sectoral Cooperation — energy, transport, digital connectivity, Global Gateway investments
Trade and Trade-Related Matters — regulatory alignment, customs modernisation, food safety
People-to-People Contact — education, research, culture, youth

The Agenda also prioritises the socio-economic inclusion of more than 115,000 Armenian displaced persons following Azerbaijan’s military operation, and supports Armenia’s ‘Crossroads of Peace’ regional connectivity initiative in line with the EU’s Global Gateway strategy.

Financing and implementation

The EU will support implementation through all available instruments, adopting a Team Europe approach pooling resources from the EU, its Member States, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Support is conditional on the implementation of agreed reforms.

Under the Resilience and Growth Plan, the European Commission has put forward an assistance package of EUR 270 million for 2024–2027, comprising EUR 200 million in grants for a socio-economic reform agenda and EUR 70 million in investment grants to mobilise public and private investment in trade, energy and transport connectivity.

The Strategic Agenda marks a pivotal step in EU-Armenia relations, reflecting the European aspirations of the Armenian people and the EU’s commitment to supporting Armenia’s democratic development, sovereignty, territorial integrity and socio-economic resilience. By deepening cooperation across governance, trade, security and mobility, it lays the groundwork for a more prosperous and secure future for the region.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, L series, 15 September 2026 (official reference: Council Decision (EU) 2026/2060, CELEX L_202602060).