The legislative package on Environmental Impact Assessment and Expertise and on Making Amendments and Addenda to the Law on State Duty was debated at the regular sitting of the National Assembly convened on June 16, which was presented by the Deputy Minister of Environment Aram Mkrtchyan.
According to the Deputy Minister, the initiative aims to promote afforestation by exempting environmental organizations implementing such programmes on non-forest lands from paying a state duty of 300,000 drams, which will ease the financial burden of environmental programmes implemented with donor funds.
At the same time, the draft proposes to simplify the construction process of educational institutions, establishing an exception for the construction, reconstruction, or major renovation of state or community schools and kindergartens whereby the environmental impact assessment will be provided within the framework of the comprehensive expert examination of the draft.
The rapporteur emphasized that the package also includes technical and syntactic changes aimed at fulfilling obligations of Armenia under the international Aarhus and Espoo Conventions.
The co-rapporteur, member of the Standing Committee on Territorial Administration, Local Self-Government, Agriculture and Environment Protection Mikayel Tumasyan presented the endorsement of the Head Committee.