Today, March 26, 2025, the Armenian parliament passed a bill on starting the process of accession of Armenia to the European Union in its second reading.
The bill was supported by 64 lawmakers while seven voted against it, Schengen.News reports.
Ongoing Efforts to Join the EU
In January this year, the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinian, said that in spite of a warning from Russia, Armenia’s government will continue ahead with its plan to become part of the EU.
The Prime Minister of Armenia highlighted the government’s January 9 endorsement of a bill to begin the process of Armenia’s membership to the European Union.
There is a very high probability that our parliament will adopt that law. It would mean legally that we start the process of getting more and more close to the European Union.
In January, the Prime Minister of Armenia supported the bill however he stressed its adoption does not literally mean Armenia will be joining the European Union, after that cannot be done through a law or government decision, stressing that a decision on that can only be made through a referendum, as reported by Le Monde.
The EU’s enlargement commissioner, Marta Kos, said that Brussels will accept the membership application if it is made.
Armenia and the EU maintain a close relationship. Last year, Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the country plans to apply for EU membership, a step that would further strengthen relations between both parties.
In March 2024, the European Parliament passed a resolution that confirms that Armenia meets all the needed conditions and is eligible to apply for EU membership.
Attempts to Reach Visa Liberalisation With EU
In addition to the EU accession, Armenia is also attempting to reach a visa-free travel agreement with the EU.
In this regard, the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashianyan, said that visa liberalisation is among the main issues that Armenia expects to soon be resolved by the EU.
Now, this atmosphere has understandably created an expectation among the citizens of Armenia that this matter will be resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible, especially since there is a big problem related to obtaining visas from EU countries.
The Armenian PM emphasized that this issue has been part of his country’s agenda for a long time.