A public discussion on the draft law introducing amendments and addenda to the Law “On Environmental Impact Assessment and Expertise” was held under the leadership of Ara Mkrtchyan, Deputy Minister of Environment of the RA.
The discussion brought together interested stakeholders, including representatives of environmental NGOs and private sector organizations.
Opening the meeting, the Deputy Minister welcomed the participants and emphasized the importance of a constructive exchange, noting that the process should not only identify gaps in the draft, but also generate well-substantiated proposals to address them.
The proposed amendments are driven by the requirements of the Aarhus and Espoo Conventions. In particular, they envisage:

• clarification of the concepts of “public” and “interested public”; 
• revision of EIA procedures and the list of activities subject to expert examination;
• updates to provisions related to strategic environmental assessment; 
• introduction of new regulations for cases involving potential transboundary impacts;
• addressing other gaps identified during the implementation of the law. \

During the discussion, Ara Mkrtchyan considered the proposals and observations presented by the participants. The parties agreed that further submissions would be provided in written form.
Work on improving the EIA legal framework will continue through ongoing consultations.