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92% of Armenians hold a “favourable view” of their country’s relation with the EU

8 July 2019

Just as many Europeans seem to be turning against European integration, citizens of Armenia, it seems, are increasingly favourable to the EU, as are many other East Europeans. This was revealed by a new survey carried out by the EU in the 6 Eastern Partnership Countries.

Graph 3The figures showed that 62% of residents of Armenia have a positive perception of the EU, up from the previous year. The average across the six countries of the Eastern Partnership is a slightly lower 57%. The Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries include Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia.

Similarly, 92% of those living in Armenia had a favourable view of their country’s relations with the EU, and 61% had a “high level of trust” towards the EU (the regional averages are 67% and 58% respectively).

The EU: the most trusted international institution in Armenia

The EU, furthermore, appears to be the most trusted international institutions in Armenia, ahead of the UN, NATO, and the Eurasian Economic Union, of which Armenia is a member.

One may speculate that these poll numbers reflects the general optimism of the Armenian public in the wake of last year’s “Velvet Revolution”. Attitudes towards the country’s own institutions have also improved dramatically since the 2018 survey. Trust in the government of Armenia, for instance, shot up from 28 to 72%, up 44%, and trust in the other institutions of the state followed similar trends. Graphic-1

More than half of the Armenian population also agrees that the EU has provided tangible benefits in everyday life. Most (68%) name tourism as an area that benefited from the EU’s support. This is followed by ‘the improved quality of healthcare’ (61%), ‘greater access to products and services’ (61%), ‘better education’ (59%) and ‘improved democracy’ (59%).

Progress of Armenia-EU relationship

According to the survey authors, the frequent mention of “tourism” in this context confirms the progress of Armenia-EU relationship in the area of mobility, including the dialogue on visa liberalisation which, if carried out, would make Armenia the fourth EaP country with a visa-free regime with the EU, alongside Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia.

Note: the survey was carried out in all six Eastern Partnership countries in February and March 2019.

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