Democratic Development, Decentralisation and Good Governance in Armenia – Phase II

Back Armenian local authorities consulted on draft local self-government law

Anna SAHAKYAN

Modified 8 Months ago.

Armenian local authorities consulted on draft local self-government law

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.

YEREVAN, ARMENIA 2-3 October 2025

Diminuer la taille du texte
Augmenter la taille du texte
Imprimer la page

View all project news

View all news

The goal and objective of the project

The Project “Democratic Development, Decentralisation and Good Governance in Armenia – Phase II” aimed to support the adoption of revised legislative framework for local self-government in line with European standards to reflect the new territorial-administrative map of Armenia and develop the capacities of local authorities of newly enlarged communities to ensure they can assume new responsibilities and competences. It also seeked to further raise awareness of good governance principles and promote cross-border co-operation (CBC), inter-municipal co-operation (IMC) and economic development at local level.

Thanks to the project, Armenian citizens will benefit from more inclusive, effective, and resilient institutional structures at local level, which are capable of delivering improved public service and promoting sustainable economic development as a result of an improved legislative framework.

Start date: December 2022

Duration: 37 months

Funding: 1 100 000 EUR

Donor: Austrian Development Cooperation

Contact person: Ms Ani Dallakyan, Senior Project Officer

Who benefits from the project?

Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia
Local authorities in Armenia
Local government associations
Civil society organisations
general public

How did the project work?

Through a combination of tailored policy/legislative actions
capacity building of local authorities of newly enlarged communities
raising awareness of good governance principles
promoting cross-border co-operation (CBC), inter-municipal co-operation (IMC) and economic development at local level.

Achievements

Active and substantive participation of communities and civil society in policy development and local governance processes is ensured.
Local economic development policy is adopted to support financial decentralisation and deliver increased fiscal autonomy at local level.
Revised Law on Local Self-Government and relevant constitutional amendments is adopted in light of stakeholder contribution and in line with European standards.
Improved accessibility to and provision of public service at local level support equal access to resources for women, youth, and vulnerable people.
Start-up grants support the completion of feasibility studies into inter-community cooperation and the establishment of intercommunity arrangements to support shared service delivery.
Start-up grants on cross-border cooperation support the establishment of cross-border economic development initiatives.
Platform for exchange of experience and best practice in inter-municipal cooperation, cross-border cooperation and economic development is established to facilitate peer learning among Communities.