OREANDA-NEWS. On 25 June 2008 was announced, that the workshop on "Reducing the Burdens to Armenia Business trough Regulatory Improvements and the Success of the Standard Cost Model in European Countries" held in Yerevan, with initiative of the Ministry of Economy and the Delegation of the EC to Armenia. The representatives of State institutions, departments, international and public organizations were present at discussions.

The EC is about to launch first Tinning Project in Armenia- a workshop on the "Standard Cost Model" organised in the frame of the preparation of a Twinning project with the Ministry of Economy.

The Twinning instrument has been made available to Armenia in 2007 in the frame of the ENP. It builds on the deepening political relation with partner countries like Armenia and fosters peer-to-peer cooperation between a public administration and its equivalent in one EU Member State. The Delegation of the EC to Armenia is actively supporting the preparation of the first Twinning project in Armenia, among them one focusing on the improvement of the business environment through the introduction of the "Standard Cost Model".

Twinning is a key instrument proposed to Armenia by the EU in the frame of the ENP (European Neighbourhood Policy). Twinning is a program of peer-to-peer cooperation that fosters transfer of know-how and best practices from one EU Member State administration to its equivalent in one ENP partner country.

The workshop on "Reducing the Burdens to Armenia Business trough Regulatory Improvements and the Success of the Standard Cost Model in European Countries" held in the Golden Tulip Hotel in Yerevan on June 12 marked in important step in the preparation of one of the first Twinning' s projects in Armenia.

A team of EU consultants has been working with the Ministry of Economy over the last weeks to develop the concept of this Twinning. This is the firs step before the Twinning proposal is simultaneously presented to the 27 EU Member States. In maximum 6 months from now, one EU Member State will be selected and will work closely with the Ministry of Economy of Armenia over an extended period, most likely 24 months.

The purpose of this Twinning is to further develop the capacity of the Government of Armenia and other key stake holders in the Armenian Economy to deal with a technical tool in Regulatory Impact Assessment : the "Standard Cost Model". The Standard Cost Model is a very useful instrument, first developed in the Netherlands and now being used in many EU countries (Earlier on Denmark, Sweden, Norway, U.K., and now several others), to measure costs and administrative burdens associated with government regulations. It aims at simplifying administrative procedures in order to reduce associated costs and burdens and to finally improve business environment.