News

Berlin / Brussels 3 May 2006 --- European Union citizens deserve to know where their taxes are going. Full implementation of financial transparency recommendations issued today under the European Transparency Initiative (ETI) will help citizens keep an eye on where and how their money is spent. The ETI, headed by EU Commission Vice President Siim Kallas, seeks to improve public transparency of the EU.

On April 5, 2006, the CRD/TI Armenia received an alert about the illegal felling of trees on the territory in the belonging of the Byurakan Observatory of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia.

A press conference was held on April 28, 2006 at the Public Environmental Information Center (Aarhus Center), with the CRD/TI Armenia (represented by Ms. Sona Aivazyan, Executive Director); the Armenian Center of Human Rights Protection after A.D. Sakharov (represented by Ms. Mary Khachatryan, Attorney at Law); and the Armenian Botanic Society (represented by Ms. Gohar Oganezova, Executive Director) non-government organizations.

Berlin, 21 April 2006 - Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency International, has enthusiastically accepted an invitation from United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan to join the Board of the UN Global Compact, a voluntary corporate citizenship initiative with over 3000 corporate and stakeholder members.

The Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee in its conclusion regarding the construction of Dalma Orchards recognized the non-compliance of Armenia with the provisions of Article 4 paragraphs 1 and 2, Article 6 paragraph 1 (a) and Annex I paragraph 20, Article 6 paragraphs 2-5 and 7-9, Article 7 and Article 9 paragraphs 2-4 of the Convention. The Compliance Committee also proposed certain recommendations to the Government of RA to ensure implementation of the Aarhus Convention.

Amalia Kostanyan, the Chairwoman of the CRD/TI Armenia NGO, attended the reception held in the US Embassy in Armenia on April 11, 2006. The reception was arranged to introduce the mission headed by a US Congressman Jim Colby, which also includes Congressman Scott Garret, Chief Executive Director of Millennium Challenges Program, Ambassador John Danielovich and other officials.

Among the highlights are successful workshop on debarment (blacklisting), the latest update on the Transparency Initiative (the Green Paper is expected to come out May 3), opinions on Bulgaria's and Romania's accession in 2007, etc.

Broaden scope and strengthen enforcement, says TI in letter to EU Vice President Kallas

Brussels / Berlin, 6 April 2006 --- A stronger, more transparent and harmonised European Commission debarment system (also known as blacklisting) will ensure that corrupt companies and greedy public officials do not sap EU resources, says Transparency International (TI).

The Group of European Countries Against Corruption (GRECO) has recently published, by consent of the Armenian Government, its report on Armenia. It specifically concerns the Police, judiciary, tax and customs services, educational and healthcare systems as well as licensing and privatization procedures. 24 recommendations have been forwarded by GRECO to the Armenian Government subject to implementation by September 2007.

You can find the report on GRECO official website at www.greco.coe.int

Eurasianet, 27 February 2006

An ongoing construction boom has kept Armenia's economic growth in double digits in recent years, but at the same time has laid bare serious problems with the rule of law and growing social inequality. Hundreds of Armenians have been forced to vacate their homes, later torn down to make room for expensive residential and office buildings. Some have resisted eviction by staging street protests, going on hunger strikes and even threatening to commit suicide. Local civic groups, media and opposition politicians say the construction projects, largely concentrated in the capital Yerevan, are proceeding in gross violation of Armenians' constitutionally guaranteed property rights. They also claim that it has been driven by high-level government corruption.