ArmInfo.The European Commission has made a first disbursement of 34 million euros to Armenia this Friday, with the aim of cushioning the blow to its economy from trade restrictions imposed by Russia on its exports, adopted in retaliation for Yerevan's rapprochement with the European Union, reinforced after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's recent electoral victory.
This financial support constitutes the first tranche of a 50 million euro package announced by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, which also includes trade facilities and solidarity measures aimed at shoring up the economic resilience of the Caucasian country.
"The European Union stands firm with Armenia, a sovereign, independent and democratic country. Today's disbursement will help address immediate economic challenges while opening new opportunities for Armenian businesses to trade with European and regional markets," said Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos in a statement.
According to Brussels, additional support will also be offered to the sectors most affected by Russian restrictions, such as agri-food products, flower production and other export- oriented industries.
This support will be materialized through trade initiatives, business networking meetings and specific actions to facilitate access to new markets, while the EU-Armenia Working Group on Economic Resilience will continue to meet "periodically" to "guide and monitor" the implementation of these measures.
The total allocation of 50 million euros will come from the direct budgetary support that the EU grants to Armenian institutions within the framework of the bilateral resilience and growth plan designed for Armenia.
At the end of May, Russia decreed a temporary ban on importing certain fresh agricultural products from Armenia, including tomatoes, various vegetables, fruits such as strawberries and roe, as well as some types of fish, until the country resolves the irregularities that Russian authorities claim to have detected. According to the RA Statistics Committee, Armenia's trade turnover with the EU countries increased by 7.2% in 2025, reaching $2.5 billion (or 11.7% of total trade). Exports increased by 9% to $666.8 million, while imports grew by 6.5% to $1.8 billion.
From January to April 2026, mutual trade with the EU countries increased by 45.2%, reaching $1.058 billion. Exports grew by 97.3% to $355.7 million, while imports grew by 28% to $702.9 million.
As a reminder, Rosselkhoznadzor imposed temporary restrictions on the import of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, green vegetables, and strawberries originating and originating in Armenia on May 30 due to identified violations. The agency explained that agricultural products supplied by Armenia did not comply with EAEU and Russian standards. On May 28, Rospotrebnadzor suspended the sale of 64.5 million units of Jermuk mineral natural medicinal table drinking carbonated water in Russia. The order was based on the manufacturer's violations of mandatory technical regulation requirements. Excessive levels of bicarbonate (an ion), chlorides, and sulfates were detected in the water.
Starting June 2, restrictions were imposed on stone fruits (cherries, sweet cherries, apricots, plums, peaches, and nectarines) and fresh grapes originating and shipped in the Republic of Armenia, as well as on the transit of these products to EAEU member states until an appropriate protocol for ensuring the safety of shipped products is developed.
