Media plays important role in modern societies, especially at the time of elections, when fair, balanced and thorough media coverage is needed. 

On 25-26 April, building on the success of the first training, the Council of Europe, in partnership with the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia (CEC), organised a second tailored capacity-building event for media representatives ahead of Armenia’s parliamentary elections in June 2026. The event took place in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia. Around 40 journalists from accredited media outlets in Yerevan and across Armenia’s regions who will cover the upcoming elections participated in the events, along with officials from the CEC and the Commission on Television and Radio of Armenia. 
A comprehensive overview of the electoral process along with the domestic and international regulatory framework governing media coverage during the pre-election campaign and on election day was presented by representatives of the CEC, as well as Council of Europe international consultants.   
The events were guided by key Council of Europe recommendations, notably the Recommendation CM/Rec(2007)15 of the Committee of Ministers on measures concerning media coverage of elections and the Recommendation CM/Rec(2022)12 on electoral communication and media coverage of election campaigns, which set out core principles for fair, balanced, and equitable media coverage throughout the electoral process.
The event served as a valuable platform for dialogue and enhanced journalists’ awareness and capacity to provide fair, balanced, and ethical election coverage, supporting transparency and integrity in Armenia’s electoral process.
The Council of Europe and the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia will further continue their cooperation on media coverage of elections throughout the year, ahead of approximately 40 local self-government elections scheduled in Armenia after the Parliamentary Elections. 
The trainings were implemented by the Council of Europe Division for Cooperation on Freedom of Expression within the Promoting freedom of expression, media and access to information in Armenia under  the Council of Europe Action Plan 2023-2026 for Armenia.