What did Armenia lose abandoning the path of EU association? (video)
The Union of Informed Citizens NGO has made a video presenting the benefits Armenia could derive if it joined the European Union (EU). The Union presents a video discussing in detail the losses incurred by Armenia as a result of abandoning the path of European integration. "For several years, Armenia and the EU negotiated on the Association Agreement (AA). In the summer of 2013, negations ended and the agreement was ready for pre-signing. The main part of the Association Agreement was related to trade between EU and Armenia. According to this part of the Agreement, known as the Agreement on deep and comprehensive free trade area, mutual cancellation of duties on all goods and services between the EU and Armenia, as well as simplification of procedures, was planned. According to the research done by the Dutch Ecotys organization, as a result of the association with the EU, Armenia's GDP would grow by 2.3 percent, and revenues of the state budget would increase by 146 million dollars. The volume of exports from Armenia was supposed to grow by 15 percent, and the wages would increase 2.7 percent. The cancellation of import duties on European goods in Armenia would lead to a 1.2 percent offset in the growth of consumer prices. The European Union was supposed to give Armenia a gratuitous grant in sum of 4,85 billion euro. Despite all this support, we would not lose our right to independent foreign trade policy and would be free in establishing independent trade relations with other countries," Union of Informed Citizens NGO said.
