Over 120 participants from Armenian local authorities and their associations presented their comments on the amended draft law on local self-government during a public consultation meeting in Yerevan on 2 October 2025. Addressing the meeting, Emin Yeritsyan (EPP/CCE), member of the Armenian delegation to the Congress, underlined that the goal of the new legislation was to make local democracy stronger and called on all local authorities to promote the draft among all stakeholders.

The draft legislation was published on the government’s e-consult platform and amended in light of some 573 proposals from local authorities – 362 of which were integrated in the updated draft. It is the most significant piece of legislation to have undergone such a broad consultation procedure involving all relevant stakeholders.

On 3 October, a peer-learning workshop showcased results from grant schemes supported by the Congress that enabled 14 communities to strengthen inter-municipal cooperation, foster community resilience, and improve service delivery.  Representatives from local authorities celebrated achievements in promoting tourism, environmental protection, and pre-schooling for refugee children. “The support received within the framework of the project was of great importance on the path to building new lives,” noted the Head of Martuni community which benefited from the grant.

The activities were organised in the framework of the project ‘’Democratic Development, Decentralisation and Good Governance in Armenia – Phase II’’, implemented by the Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026, with the financial support of the Austrian Development Agency.