The draft statement on the withdrawal of Armenia from the EEU, proposed by the Elk opposition faction, was not reviewed, as a majority of Armenian parliamentarians voted against adding this issue to the agenda of a four-day parliament session.
Adoption of this document would be enough to begin the process of the country's withdrawal from the EEU. The authors of the initiative believe that during the three years of Armenia's EEU membership, there were a significant drawbacks. Armenia's GDP dropped by 8% in dollar terms, employment rates fell by 13%, international reserves decreased by 40%, the national debt rose, inflow of net investments in 2014 amounted to 167.4 billion drams (345.8 million dollars), compared to 81 billion drams (167.3 million dollars) in 2016.
The Armenian media seem to intentionally aggravate the situation, promoting hysteria around the country's membership in the EEU and manipulating facts and figures. "When you import oranges or tangerines from Georgia -not a member of the EEU- you need a phytosanitary certificate for them, which raises costs." Writers of texts like these then somehow ‘ forget’ that the majority of EU countries prohibit the import of many types of fruits and vegetables without the necessary papers.
