EU extends Ecorys collaboration on justice reform project in Armenia
The European Union’s support for justice sector reform in Armenia has entered a new stage, with the announcement of a second phase of its assistance program now extended until October 2026.
Ecorys, the international research and consultancy working to deliver this support, has played a central role in helping Armenia modernize its legal institutions as the country moves toward closer ties with the EU. Armenia’s push to align its justice system with EU standards is part of a broader effort to reform areas such as human rights, competition policy, environmental regulation, and the rule of law.
The government previously completed the first phase of an EU-funded Sector Reform Performance Contract, which provided a budget of €27 million to support justice reforms, including work on anti-corruption measures and the penitentiary system.
Since May 2024, Ecorys has been helping implement the second phase of this work, which began with consultations among project beneficiaries and development partners. Over the following months, Ecorys also helped organize an international arbitration conference in Yerevan, supported a policy dialogue on judicial integrity checks, and ran a leadership workshop for senior officials at Armenia’s Ministry of Justice.
A pivotal political moment
The newly announced extension arrives at a significant time for Armenia. Parliamentary elections in June 2026 reflected renewed public support for democratic governance and closer alignment with European values, building on the ‘Law on Launching Armenia’s EU Accession Process’, adopted in March 2025.
Around the same time, EU-Armenia relations reached a new milestone with the first-ever EU-Armenia Summit in May 2026, where both sides adopted a joint Strategic Agenda. That agenda will boost investment through the Global Gateway initiative and will support projects like Crossroads of Peace, which aims to improve regional connectivity and expand trade opportunities. Progress on visa-free travel is also underway, following the signing of an Action Plan in November 2025 that includes cooperation on security, crisis management, and cyber resilience.
The election victory of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan this June turned Armenia closer to the EU than ever before. A traditional ally of Russia, Armenia has long looked to Moscow for support in its on-and-off-again wars against Azerbaijan. Pashinyan defeated his main opponent, Russian-Armenian billionaire and opposition figure Samvel Karapetyan of the pro-Russian Strong Armenia party, despite conspicuous pressure from Russia during the election.
Why justice reform still matters
Armenia’s broader economic reform agenda, supported through a €270 million Resilience and Growth Plan, will soon be reinforced by additional multi-sector budget support for the 2026 to 2028 period.
Within this wider push, justice reform remains essential. A judiciary that is predictable and independent reduces legal uncertainty, which in turn makes Armenia more attractive to domestic and foreign investors. Progress on visa liberalization, as well as cooperation on security and crisis management, also depends on strong legal frameworks and institutions capable of upholding standards.
What comes next
In the coming months, the project will focus on helping Armenia meet the benchmarks set out in the Visa Liberalization Action Plan and the EU-Armenia Strategic Agenda. This includes supporting development of a new national justice strategy, with particular attention to its anti-corruption component, and ensuring consistency across the strategy’s five main pillars.
The project will also promote alternatives to litigation, such as mediation and arbitration, with targeted support for Armenia’s Arbitration and Mediation Center. Additional work will focus on drafting anti-corruption legislation, particularly rules governing whistleblower protections and asset management, along with strengthening the legal and institutional systems used to recover illicitly obtained assets.
