Advancing Reforms in Armenia with Visegrad Four’s Know-how
On 16 June 2021, CPS held the closing event of the project. It was concluded with a reception and informal discussion with the Deputy Head of Mission of the Slovak Embassy Pavol Popjak and the First Counsellor of the Polish Embassy Krzysztof Bartczak.
The project focused on topics set among reform priorities by the Armenian government and the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement. It consisted of five modules:
- Central European countries’ policies and support to reforms in the Eastern Partnership region;
- civilian security sector reform;
- healthcare reform;
- renewable energy sector development;
- IT sector, e-governance and information society development.
Each of the modules included webinars with policy experts from Visegrad Four countries. After each module, a policy paper with recommendations was prepared by CPS staff and affiliated experts, and expert discussions were organised.
The project is co-financed by the Governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.
Grant #22010376
PROJECT PARTNERS
Project library
(the videos of the seminars with foreign experts and their presentation files are in English, while the videos of the final discussions of the modules 2-5, the policy papers and the media reports are in Armenian)
Module 1: Central European countries’ policies
1. Polish perspective on the Eastern Partnership webinar with the editor-in-chief of Visegrad Insight Wojciech Przybylski (3 July 2020): video, presentation and the quoted publication.
2. Czech perspective on the Eastern Partnership webinar (13 July 2020): video with address by the Deputy Head of Mission of the Czech Embassy in Armenia Jan Plešinger and report by Věra Řiháčková, Associate Research Fellow of the EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy.
3. Slovak perspective on the Eastern Partnership webinar with address by the Ambassador of Slovakia in Armenia Miroslav Hacek and report by Prof Alexander Duleba, researcher at the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (22 July 2020): video, presentation.
4. Hungarian perspective on the Eastern Partnership webinar (24 July 2020): video with report by András Rácz, senior fellow of the Robert Bosch Centre for Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia.
Module 1 summary: Article by vice president of the Centre for Policy Studies, Armen Grigoryan: Eastern Partnership: Visegrad Four countries' policies.
Module 2: Civilian security sector reform
1. Civilian security sector reform: Selected and underestimated aspects of the reform and sustainable development of law enforcement agencies (8 February 2021): video with a welcome address by the Head of the Political Section at the EU Delegation to Armenia Jan Plešinger and presentation by Dr Petr Pojman, founding member and member of the executive board of the Czech Society of Criminology, and additional reading suggested by Dr Pojman.
2. Civilian security sector reform (22 February 2021): video with a welcome address by the Ambassador of Slovakia to Armenia Miroslav Hacek and presentation by Vladimír Tarasovič, senior researcher, Slovak Foreign Policy Association, and presentation.
The event was covered by the Armenpress agency (in Armenian and Russian) and mentioned by the Embassy of Slovakia in Armenia.
3. Civilian security sector reform (23 April 2021): video of discussion with Wojciech Lorenz, analyst, Polish Institute of International Affairs.
4. Armenian army's status and command: Constitutional regulations in the context of international practice (21 May 2021): expert discussion.
Module 2 summary: Article by constitutional law expert, Armenian Institute of International and Security Affairs legal expert, lecturer at the educational complex of the Armenian Police, Artashes Khalatyan: Armenian army's status and command: Constitutional regulations in the context of international practice.
Module 3: Healthcare reform
1. Healthcare reform efforts in Hungary in 2006-2008: Lessons for Armenia (15 February 2021): video of discussion and presentation by Balázs Váradi, senior researcher, Budapest Institute for Policy Analysis.
2. Healthcare reform in Slovakia (5 May 2021): webinar video and presentation by Martin Smatana, member of the European Commission’s social protection committee.
3. Healthcare reform in Poland (19 May 2021): webinar video and presentation by Dr Michał Zabdyr-Jamróz, professor, Health Policy and Management Department, Institute of Public Health, Jagiellonian University Medical College.
Also available: Poland health system review 2019 with Dr Zabdyr-Jamróz's contribution, and some of his other publications.
4. Expert discussion Armenia’s healthcare system: from the past to the future (16 June 2021).
Module 3 summary: Article by health financing expert, chairman of the Health Economists Association, Dr Samvel Kharazyan: Armenia’s healthcare system: from the past to the future.
Module 4: Renewable energy sector development
1. Slovakia’s experience with renewable energy sector (9 February 2021): video of discussion with Irena Jenčová, editor of Euractiv.sk.
2. Poland’s experience with renewable energy sector (25 February 2021): webinar video and presentation by Paweł Musiałek, director of Centre for Analysis of Jagiellonian Club.
3. Hungary’s experience with renewable energy sector (12 March 2021): video of discussion with László Szabó, director of the Regional Centre for Energy Policy Research.
4. Expert discussion Sustainable energy development in Armenia (6 April 2021).
Experts' resentations (in Armenian):
Module 4 summary: Article by executive director of the Energy Saving Foundation, Astghine Pasoyan: Armenia’s sustainable energy prospects.
Module 5: IT sector, e-governance and information society development
1. Poland’s experience in IT sector and e-governance development (22 February 2021): video of discussion with Maciej Sadowski, CEO, Startup Hub Poland.
2. Czech experience in IT sector and e-governance development (26 May 2021): webinar video and presentation by Šárka Prát, executive director, Institute for Politics and Society.
3․ Expert discussion Development of information society and effective e-governance (16 June 2021).
Module 5 summary: Article by CPS researcher and PhD candidate at the Faculty of International Relations of Yerevan State University, Victoria Melkonyan: Development of information society and effective e-governance: foundation for the development of participatory democracy in Armenia.
