On May 22, 2025, the Ministry of Economy of Armenia, together with the Regional Environmental Center for the Caucasus (RECC Armenia), GIZ Armenia partners and the PROGRESS project team, held a working meeting to review new materials on climate-smart, climate-resilient, and sustainable practices under the EU-supported PROGRESS programme.

The meeting highlighted that seven of the ten demonstration projects under PROGRESS will be implemented by GIZ and the remaining three by RECC Armenia. Participants also reviewed draft information sheets on 14 sustainable practices, developed by Ampera LLC. Based on value-chain studies, the sheets simplify technical concepts into two-to-three-page guides with practical case studies and visuals, making climate-smart solutions more accessible to farmers and stakeholders. 

“These information sheets are simple and will be very useful for farmers,” noted Varsik Martirosyan, Head of the Department of Plant Breeding at the Ministry of Economy. 

The meeting also featured a presentation by RECC Armenia on a demonstration project in plastic recycling for the food industry, emphasizing the shift from linear to circular economy models and the benefits of Resource Efficiency and Cleaner Production (RECP) principles. Discussions addressed food safety standards, opportunities for NGO and business engagement, and prospects for scaling such initiatives.

In closing, participants agreed to circulate the draft information sheets within the RA Ministry of Economy for feedback before publication, ensuring they are practical and stakeholder oriented. The meeting underlined the importance of cross-institutional cooperation in advancing Armenia’s green transition and alignment with the European Green Deal.