Armenia
The SME Policy Index: Eastern Partner Countries 2020 – Assessing the Implementation of the Small Business Act for Europe is a unique benchmarking tool to assess and monitor progress in the design and implementation of SME policies against EU and international best practice. It is structured around the ten principles of the Small Business Act for Europe (SBA), which provide a wide range of pro-enterprise measures to guide the design and implementation of SME policies. This report marks the third edition in this series, following assessments in 2012 and 2016. It provides a comprehensive overview of the state of play in the implementation of the ten SBA principles, and monitors progress made since 2016. It also identifies remaining challenges affecting SMEs in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries and provides recommendations to address them based on EU and international good practice examples. The 2020 edition also features a novelty: An assessment of three new dimensions going beyond core SME policy (competition, contract enforcement and business integrity) looking at key structural reform priorities that are critical to establishing a level playing field for enterprises of all sizes and ownership types.
This report assesses the state of Armenia’s sanitation services, which are in poor shape, and proposes ways forward for reforming the sector by: ensuring equitable access by all and identifying solutions that work for the poorest and most remote communities; generating economies of scale and scope, and reducing both investment and operational costs for the efficient delivery of sanitation services; and moving towards sustainable cost recovery for the sanitation sector, by identifying how much funding can be mobilised from within the sector and how much external transfers are required. The state of Armenia’s sanitation services are inadequate, with 51% of the population in rural areas using unimproved facilities, causing direct damage to the environment and exposing inhabitants to health risks, and better access but degraded sewerage-system infrastructure in urban areas, posing health hazards due to potential cross-contamination between sewage and drinking water. According to preliminary estimates, EUR 2.6 billion of investments will be required to meet Armenia’s sanitation needs, with approximately EUR 1 billion needing to be spent in the next 7 to 10 years. Given the country’s current economic situation, this investment will have to be spread over time and targeted to avoid further deterioration of infrastructure and increase of the financing gap.
Interrelations between Public Policies, Migration and Development in Armenia is the result of a project carried out by the Caucasus Research Resource Center (CRRC-Armenia) and the OECD Development Centre, in collaboration with the State Migration Service (SMS) and with support from the European Union. The project aimed to provide policy makers with evidence on the way migration influences specific sectors – the labour market, agriculture, education and investment and financial services – and, in turn, how sectoral policies affect migration. The report addresses three dimensions of the migration cycle that have become an important part of the country's social and economic contexts: emigration, remittances and return. The results of the empirical work confirm that even though migration contributes to the development of Armenia, the potential of migration is not fully exploited. One explanation is that many policy makers in Armenia do not sufficiently take migration into account in their respective policy areas. Armenia therefore needs to adopt a more coherent policy agenda to do more to integrate migration into development strategies, improve co-ordination mechanisms and strengthen international co-operation. This would enhance the contribution of migration to development in the country.
Conveniently located near the world’s fastest growing energy markets, the resource-rich and transit countries of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia contribute significantly to world energy security. However, shared challenges across the region include aged infrastructure, high energy intensity, low energy efficiency, untapped alternative energy potential and poorly functioning regional energy markets.
This publication highlights the energy policies and sector developments of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan during 2013-14 and provides a summary of key recommendations for policy makers in the region.
Energy policy analysis is conducted in line with the INOGATE Programme’s four main pillars of energy development: energy market convergence, energy security, sustainable development and investment attraction. Started in 1996, the INOGATE Programme is one of the longest running energy technical assistance programmes funded by the European Union and works within the policy frameworks of the Baku Initiative and the Eastern Partnership. The INOGATE Programme co-operates with 11 Partner Countries to support reduction in their dependency on fossil fuels and imports, to improve the security of their energy supply and to mitigate overall climate change. It also supports the Eastern Partnership, a joint initiative between the European Union, EU Member States, and the Eastern European and Caucasus countries. Launched in 2009, the Eastern Partnership aims at advancing political association and economic integration.
This publication has been produced with European Union financial assistance provided through the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument.
The SME Policy Index is a benchmarking tool designed for emerging economies to assess SME policy frameworks and monitor progress in policy implementation over time. The Index has been developed by the OECD in partnership with the European Commission, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the European Training Foundation (ETF) in 2006.
For the Eastern Partner Countries, the assessment framework is structured around the ten principles of the Small Business Act for Europe (SBA), providing a wide-range of pro-enterprise measures to guide the design and implementation of SME policies based on good practices promoted by the EU and the OECD. It is applied to the Eastern Partner Countries for the second time since 2012.
The Index identifies strengths and weaknesses in policy design and implementation, allows for comparison across countries and measures convergence towards good practices and relevant policy standards. It aims to support governments in setting targets for SME policy development and to identify strategic priorities to further improve the business environment. It also helps to engage governments in policy dialogue and exchange good practices within the region and with OECD and EU members.
The economic crisis, the second economic shock to hit the Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus region after the collapse of the Soviet Union, has been a warning and a call to action. The region has many advantages and much potential, but some of this was squandered during the boom years of the 2000s. The studies contained in this volume demonstrate that the potential is still there and that the measures that need to be taken to realise that potential are feasible and affordable. Some of them can have an almost immediate effect, such as easing access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises and opening up new markets for the region’s goods. Others are more medium-term, such as redeveloping product lines in the steel industry or in agriculture. Some of the most critical reforms, like raising the level of education and improving health care, will require political and economic investment over the long term.
None of the recommendations in this book are, however, beyond the bounds of possibility. Governments and the private sector have an interest in implementing reforms to diversify the economy and improve the distribution of revenues. Given the enormous potential of the Eastern European and South Caucasus countries, the region has every reason to be confident about its future.
This report draws on three detailed case studies from Armenia, the Russian Federation and Turkey and on the experience of OECD countries to provide guidance on how transfers from central budgets to local authorities could be designed to finance environmental infrastructures in transition economies. The report also investigates mechanisms for transferring financial resources for water services from higher to lower levels of government.
This book presents the outcomes of a review of legal and institutional frameworks for fighting corruption in Armenia, which was carried out in the framework of the Anti-Corruption Network for Transition Economies based at the OECD. The review examined national anti-corruption policy and institutions currently in place in Armenia, national anti-corruption legislation, and preventive measures to ensure the integrity of civil service and effective financial control. This publication contains the recommendations as well as the full text of the self-assessment report provided by the government of Armenia.
Antigua-et-Barbuda compte quatre conventions fiscales en vigueur, comme l’indique sa réponse au questionnaire d’examen par les pairs, y compris la convention multilatérale entre les membres de la CARICOM conclue avec dix de ses partenaires (la Convention de la CARICOM) Accord entre les gouvernements des États membres de la Communauté des Caraïbes tendant à éviter la double imposition et à prévenir l’évasion fiscale en matière d’impôts sur le revenu, sur les profits ou les gains en capital et pour l’encouragement du commerce régional et de l’investissement, Saint-Michel (Barbade), 6 juillet 1994 ; entre Antigua-et-Barbuda (18 février 1998), la Barbade (7 juillet 1995), le Belize (30 novembre 1994), la Dominique (19 juin 1996), Grenade (1er mars 1996), le Guyana* (26 novembre 1997), la Jamaïque (16 février 1995), Saint Kitts-et-Nevis (8 mai 1997), Sainte Lucie (22 mai 1995) Saint Vincent (12 février 1998) et Trinité-et-Tobago (29 novembre 1994). . Aucune de ces conventions n’est conforme au standard minimum.
Armenia has no indigenous fossil-fuel resources and relies on domestically-generated electricity and imported natural gas to meet the majority of its energy consumption needs.
Armenia can legally issue the following two types of rulings within the scope of the transparency framework: (i) preferential regimes;1) Free economic zones and 2) Information technology projects. and (ii) permanent establishment rulings. As of 1 January 2024, Armenia will be able to issue cross-border unilateral APAs and any other cross-border unilateral tax rulings (such as an advance tax ruling) covering transfer pricing or the application of transfer pricing principles.
Armenia has not yet introduced a requirement for the filing of CbC reports, as required under the BEPS Action 13 (CbC reporting) minimum standard.
Armenia can legally issue the following two types of rulings within the scope of the transparency framework: (i) preferential regimes;1) Free economic zones and 2) Information technology projects. and (ii) permanent establishment rulings.
Armenia has not yet introduced a requirement for the filing of CbC reports, as required under the BEPS Action 13 (CbC reporting) minimum standard.