AmCham Armenia held its regular Legal Committee Meeting

1. Welcome and Agenda Approval of Agenda

The Chair of the Meeting welcomed the Legal Committee Members and facilitated the discussion.

2. Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes

The Minutes of the Meeting was approved unanimously

3. AmCham Legal Committee Survey RESULTS review and 3 key focus area objective setting – input from the members

It was agreed to re-visit the Survey during the next meeting which will take place after the 20 June 2021 Parliamentary elections and decide on the priorities as per the newly elected government priorities.

4. Overview on the discussion at the Ministry of Economy- The draft law on “Making Amendments and Addenda to the Tax Code of the Republic of Armenia”

It was informed that the meeting in the Ministry of Economy was not very productive as the State Revenue Committee was not present, although an invitation was sent to them. It was agreed to contact the BSO on the leads of the proposed changes.

5. USAID e-draft Discussion Overview by the Chair

The Chair gave an update on the extended meeting with USAID Project on Armenia Business Enabling Environment (ABEE) and it was stressed that during the meeting the Ministry of Justice Rep was not very instrumental in resolving issues that the e-draft users were facing.

The summary document was presented to the Committee and some changes were done during the meeting. The final document (attached) will be shared with the USAID ABEE Project Director and will be followed up.

Mr. Karen Garaseferyan highlighted the importance of the general idea of E-DRAFT’s “control and management process” around which the Committee’s efforts and resources should be focused. It was commonly agreed then that a primary objective of the Committee is helping E-DRAFT refining itself as a self-actualized platform that will provide an additional value for the country and the country’s entire business/economic environment precisely.

6. GPartners’s initiative – to support the Government of Armenia in designing an investment promotion and protection policy (including a new Investment Protection etc.)

It was agreed that the Committed will revert to the GPartners’ initiative – to support the Government of Armenia in designing an investment promotion and protection policy (including a new Investment Protection etc.) after the 20 June 2021 Parliamentary Elections.

7. Other

Ms. Irina Dumanyan expressed her concern on the GDPR challenges the current Armenian IT business sector faces. It was agreed to refer to the issue during the next Committee Meetings for allocating sufficient time, resources, and attention to it.

Additionally, Ms. Gayane Markosyan suggested initiating a series of EQ-themed (Emotional intelligence) education experimental projects aimed at the general level of soft skills in the Armenian economy. She highlighted the importance of amplifying and promoting professional self-development, establishing the work-ethics principles, and the mentioned soft-skills education for the whole business community and various industries in Armenia. The suggestion received joint agreement by the Committee Members, yet its realization capabilities were determined to be highly macro-strategic. Thus, it was decided to pay proper attention to its discussion in the upcoming meetings.

8. Next-step

– Legal Committee Members will review AmCham Issues Inventory Survey Results to prioritize the 3 Key focus areas, Committee Mission and Objectives, including the e-draft, Public procurement, Taxes

– Follow- up with BSO on the leads on the draft law on “Making Amendments and Addenda to the Tax Code of the Republic of Armenia”

– An Investment Promotion and Protection policy planning – lead GPartners to be followed-up after the elections

– Next Committee Meeting Tuesday, 13 July 2021