Armenien EU-Projekte

Armenia: Fostering integrity and preventing corruption in the public sector in Armenia

Details
Published: August 9, 2022
Persons in Photograph (left to right): German Ambassador to Armenia Viktor Richter, European Commission DG NEAR Team Leader Bella Nestorova, Head of Anti-corruption policy elaboration and monitoring department at Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia Hasmik Tigranyan, Beneficiary Project Leader and Chairwoman of the Corruption Prevention Commission Haykuhi Harutyunyan, European Union Ambassador to Armenia Andrea Wiktorin, Project Leader Ingo Sorgatz, Resident Twinning Adviser Diana Stepina
Persons in Photograph (left to right): German Ambassador to Armenia Viktor Richter, European Commission DG NEAR Team Leader Bella Nestorova, Head of Anti-corruption policy elaboration and monitoring department at Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia Hasmik Tigranyan, Beneficiary Project Leader and Chairwoman of the Corruption Prevention Commission Haykuhi Harutyunyan, European Union Ambassador to Armenia Andrea Wiktorin, Project Leader Ingo Sorgatz, Resident Twinning Adviser Diana Stepina

EU Twinning
Project Leader: Ingo Sorgatz
Junior Project Leader: Anna Aļošina
RTA: Diāna Stepiņa
Responsible at the IRZ: Katharina Tegeder, Andreea Pop

The “Fostering integrity and preventing corruption in the public sector in Armenia” Twinning Project will run for 24 months, starting in June 2022, and has a budget of EUR 1 million. The project is being implemented by the IRZ in lead, together with the Latvian Ministry of Justice – in co-operation with the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau – as a junior partner.

In the last five years, Armenia has made significant strides towards tackling corruption in the country. The establishment of the Corruption Prevention Commission in 2020 and the adoption of the Anti-Corruption Strategy for the period 2019-2022 are just a few examples that highlight the progress that has been made in the field of corruption prevention policy.

However, despite this progress, these efforts have only had a limited impact thus far and corruption remains a significant problem in critical areas of public administration.

This Twinning Project aims to support and enhance the reform process and ensure the effective functioning of the anti-corruption measures in place.

The overall objective of this project is, as the name states, to foster integrity and prevent corruption in the public sector in Armenia. Specifically, the project aims to develop and assist the implementation of anti-corruption education and public awareness programmes targeted at government officials as well as the general public. The project further aims to advance the implementation of Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Strategy, in particular by enhancing the monitoring capacity of the Anti-Corruption Policy Development and Monitoring Department of the Ministry of Justice.

The main project beneficiary is the Corruption Prevention Commission.

An Opening Event was organised on 13.06.2022 in Yerevan, with the participation of representatives of the Beneficiaries as well as the German Ambassador and the IRZ project team. An official Kick-Off event for the project is planned for fall 2022.

The project has four components:

First component: Build the institutional capacity of the Corruption Prevention Commission to develop and assist in the implementation of anti-corruption (integrity) education and public awareness programmes

The first component of the project focuses on enhancing the capacity of the Corruption Prevention Commission to develop integrity education programmes and/or training courses. It will do so by improving the existing infrastructure and by developing and publishing materials for such courses which can be introduced in the general and higher education systems. It will also put in place a professional development system for government officials in the field of integrity, and develop and publish related materials and a code of conduct.

Second component: Establish strategic communication and collaboration mechanisms

The second component is concerned with improving the communication channels and collaboration mechanisms between the Corruption Prevention Commission, the civil service and media, so that the general public has a better understanding and a greater awareness of the mandate and functioning of the Commission. The aim is to put in place mechanisms that allow the Corruption Prevention Commission to effectively cooperate with external stakeholders, including anti-corruption state institutions.

Third component: Support the implementation of the Anti-Corruption Strategy by building the capacity of the Ministry of Justice to monitor

The third component of the project focuses on the Anti-Corruption Strategy and its implementation. Activities under this component aim to improve the legal framework around the Anti-Corruption Policy, to increase public awareness about anti-corruption measures in Armenia, and to develop and introduce an effective methodology for monitoring the measures put in place. Finally, the component also aims to enhance the implementation of international anti-corruption commitments generally.

Fourth component: Improve business integrity

The fourth component looks at anti-corruption measures in state-owned enterprises. It will conduct an assessment of the existing anti-corruption measures in such enterprises, and will develop and introduce additional anti-corruption measures in state-owned and public enterprises.

Armenia: Consolidation of the Justice System in Armenia

Details
Published: July 22, 2021
Project leader Peter Gjortler (centre) with some members of the project team
Project leader Peter Gjortler (centre) with some members of the project team

EU grant

Team leader: Peter Gjortler
Responsible at IRZ: Teresa Thalhammer, Katinka Buhk, Patricia Weykopf

Since June 2020, IRZ has been the lead partner in the implementation of the EU grant project in Armenia entitled “Consolidation of the Justice System in Armenia”. Together with its junior partners, the French organisation “Expertise France” and the Latvian judicial administration, as well as its Armenian partners, IRZ is dedicated to the overall consolidation of judicial reform in Armenia. The project has a total volume of € 2.2 million and a duration of 24 months.

The overall goal of the project is to improve the quality of the Armenian justice system. The aim is to strengthen its independence, efficiency, integrity, accountability and transparency, in line with the priorities of the EU-Armenia Partnership Agreement and the best practices of the European Union. The EU grant builds on the Armenian government's commitment to implement a new judicial reform strategy adopted in autumn 2019. The measures and activities of the project are an explicit part of this strategy and promote it.
The project team, led by Peter Gjortler, is working together with the central actors of the justice system, in particular the Armenian Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Judicial Council and the Judicial Academy. The project is aimed at judges and public prosecutors, as well as non-judicial staff.

Structured in three main components, the project primarily follows a digital approach due to the current circumstances and provides expertise through the use of local and international experts.

The first component is about promoting and accompanying the proper implementation of the judicial and legal reform strategy. This includes the reform process within judicial institutions as well as practice-related issues in legislation and jurisprudence.

Activities under the second component focus on strengthening the integrity of the judiciary. In addition, the capacities of actors in the justice system, including non-judicial staff, are improved through a wide range of training measures.

Finally, an instrument should be created that helps to better measure the performance of the courts – in addition to the performance of members of the judiciary and the public prosecutor's office. To this end, a comprehensive system of assessment and performance evaluation of the courts will be established and supported.

With comprehensive legislation, strengthened capacities and fully functional, citizen-oriented infrastructures, the quality of Armenia's justice system will be improved, and the protection of rights and public interests will be ensured. This, in turn, should help to strengthen the confidence of the public and civil society in the Armenian justice system.

Funded by the European Union