PRESS RELEASE – EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Today, in Yerevan, the European Commission and the Republic of Armenia announced the start of a visa liberalisation dialogue. This process aims to support Armenia in achieving a visa-free regime for short-stays with the EU, provided that the relevant conditions for well-managed mobility and security are put in place.
The visa dialogue is part of the broader framework of EU-Armenia relations, which has seen significant progress since the signing of the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in 2017. The dialogue will sustain ongoing efforts to support Armenia’s comprehensive reform agenda, particularly in areas which are crucial for future visa-free travel to the EU, such as document security, border and migration management, the fight against corruption and organised crime as well as upholding fundamental rights.
The dialogue builds on the successful implementation of the EU-Armenia Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreements, which have simplified travel procedures for many Ar
menian citizens since 1 January 2014. Currently, all EU citizens are exempt from visa requirement when entering Armenia.
Next steps
The European Commission and the Government of Armenia will work closely to ensure that the dialogue is conducted efficiently and effectively. The process is merit-based, it will last as long as it is necessary and there will be no automatic transition to visa-free travel. All benchmarks must be fully met before the final decision on visa liberalisation is taken by the Council of the EU and the European Parliament. The process will require close cooperation with EU Member States to monitor progress and developments rigorously.
Background
The launch of the visa liberalisation dialogue follows several initiatives aimed at strengthening cooperation with Armenia, in line with the mandate of the European Council of October 2023 tasked to the High Representative and the European Commission to present options to strengthen EU-Armenia relations. This step is also considered in the Joi
nt Declaration of the sixth Eastern Partnership Summit in December 2021.
In April 2024 the European Commission put forward a EUR 270 million Resilience and Growth Plan for Armenia for the period 2024-2027. The Plan will aim at building up Armenia’s socio-economic resilience.
The Visa Facilitation Agreement, which entered into force on 1 January 2014, reduces visa fees for Armenian citizens and waives fees for certain categories of applicants.
On 22 July 2024, the Foreign Affairs Council welcomed ‘the intention of the Commission to launch a visa liberalisation dialogue with Armenia’.
For More Information
Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Armenia on the facilitation of the issuance of visas
Eastern Partnership summit – joint declaration – Consilium (europa.eu)
Collaboration with countries – European Commission (europa.eu)
Quote(s)
The launch of the visa liberalisation dialogue is a clear demonstration of our commitment to enhancing mobility and cooperation with Armenia” said Marg
aritis Schinas, European Commission Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life. “It represents a step forward in our shared objective of bringing the people of Armenia and the EU closer together and a recognition of Armenia’s efforts in strengthening its ties and shared values with the EU.
Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life
Armenia highly values the commitment of the European Union and its Member States to fostering closer ties between our societies and citizens. The launch of the EU visa liberalisation dialogue is an important decision, underpinned by the democratic reforms initiated by the Republic of Armenia. We view this process as a strategic agenda for further modernisation of migration, mobility, and border management fields and we acknowledge the necessity for continued and focused efforts to achieve this objective.
Mher Grigoryan, Armenian Deputy Prime Minister
EU and Canada launch Health Policy Dialogue to advance Health Priorities
Today, Commis
sioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, and Canada’s Minister of Health, the Honourable Mark Holland, held a virtual meeting to launch the EU-Canada Health Policy Dialogue under the EU-Canada Strategic Partnership Agreement.
The Health Policy Dialogue, focused on cooperation across three priority areas: antimicrobial resistance, health security (including climate-related health risks), and non-communicable diseases (including cancer and mental health). A series of knowledge exchanges between the EU and Canada on these priority areas will be organised following this Dialogue. Through this partnership, the EU and Canada will share knowledge, scientific evidence, and best practices to advance the health and safety of people in Europe, Canada and around the world.
Antimicrobial resistance
The EU and Canada underscored the importance of collaborative efforts to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as an urgent public health and socio-economic issue. They shared their positive expectations for th
e upcoming High-Level Meeting on AMR at the United Nations General Assembly as a key opportunity to reinforce global commitment to tackle AMR. Both sides will continue to seek opportunities to raise awareness on AMR and promote close collaboration and intensified action across multilateral fora. They committed to sharing knowledge on AMR and antimicrobial use surveillance and target setting, strengthening the One Health approach through environmental integration, and exploring economic incentive models to bring new antimicrobials to the market.
Reinforced cooperation on health security
Both parties agreed to advance global collaboration on pandemic prevention, detection, preparedness, and response, with an effective and accountable WHO at its core. The discussion stressed the importance of the recently amended International Health Regulations as a key element of the global health security architecture, to be complemented by the development of a new and ambitious Pandemic Agreement on prevention, preparednes
s, and response.
The EU and Canada also discussed common health challenges arising from climate change, such as the emergence of extreme heat-related issues and vector borne diseases. They agreed to leverage on their collective strength to address the intersection of climate change and health, ultimately enhancing the well-being of our citizens and future generations.
Cancer and Mental Health
The EU and Canada are committed to working together to improve cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and care. They share the priority of identifying and implementing modern approaches to cancer care, including those that support equitable access to care. They will work together on this through an EU-Canada knowledge exchange series. Both parties also recognised that high-impact, transnational research is key for addressing, understanding, and preventing cancer.
The discussions also recognised the need for comprehensive, accessible, and reliable mental health services, both in-person and digitally. Through a knowl
edge exchange series, the EU and Canada will share information on mental health best practices, including on policies and priorities, and how they link to broader goals in multilateral fora.
Background
The Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) signed in October 2016 between the European Union and Canada includes a commitment to cooperate and exchange information on global health issues, including preparedness and response to public-health emergencies. In June 2021, Prime Minister Trudeau and President von der Leyen agreed an EU-Canada high-level bilateral policy dialogue on health under the SPA, with the overall purpose to address broader health issues and to encourage cooperation and information exchange on pandemic preparedness, response to public health emergencies, antimicrobial resistance and mental health.
Quote(s)
Canada is a key partner for the EU when it comes to tackling global health challenges. With today’s launch of the first EU-Canada Health Policy Dialogue, we are reaffirming our mutual com
mitment to a closer partnership on health under the Strategic Partnership Agreement. Global cooperation is key when it comes to responding to pandemics, tackling AMR and improving cancer and mental health care. I firmly believe that the EU and Canada working together helps to improve healthcare in the EU and beyond and deliver on our commitments in the EU Global Health Strategy.
Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety
Today’s launch of the first Canada-EU Health Policy Dialogue emphasizes the importance of global partnerships to make progress on our common health priorities, including AMR, health security, climate-related health risks, and our approaches to non-communicable diseases. Our collaborative efforts to address these priority areas will help us improve health and wellbeing for people in Canada, and also contribute to global efforts for a healthier world for everyone.
Mark Holland, Minister of Health of Canada
EU delivers one million school textbooks to Ukrainian pupils for the
new school year
Today, a first batch of one million EU-printed computer science and arts textbooks for Ukrainian schoolchildren will be delivered to the Ukrainian authorities. These newly printed books, in Ukrainian, will bring the total number of textbooks sent to Ukraine since the start of the war to 1.5 million. As pupils and teachers across the EU start a new school year, the Commission is working to ensure that Ukrainian pupils can continue their education, despite the indiscriminate drone and missile attacks by the Russian aggressor.
This targeted action to support education in Ukraine goes hand in hand with the support and integration of Ukrainian refugee children in EU schools.
The delivery of these textbooks today is the result of cooperation between several EU Member States. The files to be printed were finalised in the Netherlands, the paper for the books was delivered from Germany to Poland, where the final product was printed and shipped across the border to Ukraine, in cooperation with the Uk
rainian authorities.
This initiative is funded under the Erasmus+ programme. More information on EU support for Ukraine is available here.
(For more information: Johanna Bernsel – Tel.: +32 2 298 66 99; Federica Miccoli – Tel.: + 32 2 295 83 00)
New European coordinators appointed to drive completion of Europe’s trans-European transport network
Nine European Coordinators have been designated today to help complete the trans-European transport network (TEN-T), a vast infrastructure network of railways, roads, and inland waterways connecting the European Union.
Seven Coordinators will be in charge of seven out of the nine European Transport Corridors: Carlo Secchi for the Atlantic corridor; Anne Elisabet Jensen for the Baltic Sea-Adriatic Sea corridor; Mathieu Grosch for the Mediterranean corridor; Catherine Trautmann for the North Sea Baltic corridor; Pawel Wojciechowski for the North Sea-Rhine-Mediterranean corridor; Pat Cox for the Scandinavian-Mediterranean corridor; and Marian-Jean Marinescu for the W
estern Balkan-Eastern Mediterranean corridor.
Two Coordinators in charge of related cross-cutting priorities have also been appointed. Matthias Ruete for the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) and Gesine Meissner for the European Maritime Space (EMS).
All mandates are for four years, renewable, and start as of today. They will collaborate with Member States, cities, regions, and infrastructure managers at local, regional, national, and European levels to facilitate work towards completing the TEN-T.
As there are nine European Transport Corridors, two other TEN-T Coordinators will still have to be appointed for the remaining two European Transport Corridors. They will be in charge for the Baltic Sea-Black Sea-Aegean Sea corridor and the Rhine-Danube corridor and will be designated and appointed in early 2025.
You can find more information here.
(For more information: Adalbert Jahnz – Tel.: +32 2 295 31 56; Maëlys Dreux – Tel.: +32 2 295 46 73)
Commission launches project and gathers experts
to address Long COVID
Tomorrow, the Commission will launch a pound 2 million project, funded by the EU4Health programme, with concrete actions to address Long COVID.
The project will be managed by the Word Health Organisation (WHO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and will focus on seven key areas: defining Long COVID; developing a surveillance system; promoting the exchange of information amongst healthcare professionals; providing clinical guidelines and recommendations to Member States; supporting affected patients and carers; assessing the social and economic consequences of Long COVID; and identifying research gaps and needs.
The Commission will also create a group on Long COVID for stakeholders and patient groups to share their experiences and knowledge.
Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides will launch the project at a conference tomorrow, hosted by the OECD and the Commission. The conference will welcome experts from different sectors, to di
scuss Long COVID and how to support patients with the disease.
Commissioner Kyriakides said: ‘Long COVID has serious consequences for the people who suffer from it, and more generally, our society and economy. The EU project that we will launch tomorrow highlights once again the Commission’s commitment and determination in addressing this disease and supporting patients and their families, in every way possible.’
According to the WHO, Long COVID affected 36 million people across Europe in the first three years of the pandemic and is estimated by the Commission to have cost the EU economy 0.2-0.3% Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in output loss in 2022, due to reduction of the labour supply.
(For more information: Stefan De Keersmaecker – Tel.: +32 2 296 22 53; Laetitia Close – Tel.: +32 2 296 70 73)
Statement on the International Day to Protect Education from Attack – 2024
On the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, the EU recalls that attacks on education deprive children of their fundamental
right to learn, impact their immediate and long-term development and deprive them from a better and more peaceful future.
Attacks on schools and their military use place children, in particular girls and children with disabilities, at particular risk of harm, making them more vulnerable to other grave violations.
Tragically, there has been a significant increase of attacks against schools and education facilities, which constitute violations of International Humanitarian Law.
The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack identified around 6,000 attacks on students, educators, schools, and universities, which took place in 2022 and 2023. This means an average of 8 attacks per day and a nearly 20 percent increase compared with the previous two years.
More than 10,000 students and educators were reportedly killed, injured, abducted, arrested, or otherwise harmed by attacks on education in 2022 and 2023.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has devastated schools and kindergartens throughout the c
ountry. Since February 2022, over 3,790 educational facilities have been damaged or destroyed.
In Gaza, over 92% of all school buildings have been damaged or destroyed. Every university in Gaza has been destroyed. This is why, in June 2024, the EU – jointly with the Missions of Jordan and Belgium – launched a Call to Action for Palestinian Children in the West Bank and Gaza to raise awareness and increase humanitarian support.
The EU reaffirms its unwavering commitment to continue promoting and protecting the right of every child to grow in a safe environment, to have access to education, as required by international law and in line with the in UN Security Council Resolution 2601.
The EU continues, in line with the recently revised EU Guidelines on Children and Armed Conflict, to provide comprehensive child protection measures, to safeguard education for children in armed conflict areas and to support the implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration commitments, being it in Ukraine, Palestine, Mozambique
, Niger, South Sudan, Colombia or other countries in conflict.
Last year, the EU invested over pound 162 million for education in emergencies projects providing access to safe and quality learning, and psycho-social support. The EU dedicated as well an estimated pound 142 million to child protection activities, which constituted nearly 42% of the total protection budget within EU’s humanitarian aid.
All must protect education from attack and address the impact of armed conflict and violence on children’s education is an urgent necessity. The right to an education free from violence must be respected and fulfilled for every child, everywhere.
For More Information
Education in emergencies – European Commission (europa.eu)
Children in armed conflict – European Commission (europa.eu)
CALENDAR
TUESDAY 10 September
Ms Stella Kyriakides receives Professor Dame Sally Davies, Special Envoy on Antimicrobial Resistance for the United Kingdom.
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Source: Cyprus News Agency