On 29 January 2026, the EaP RSO Steering Committee met formally for its Annual Meeting in Yerevan.

The Steering Committee is the main governing entity of the Eastern Partnership Observatory. Its role is to ensure coordination and complementarity of the different project activities and that all countries involved have an equal voice when it comes to decision making and strategic planning. To this end, the Steering Committee comprises the main stakeholders of each member countries and local country consultants as well as implementing partners and representatives of the European Commission.

The meeting opened with welcoming remarks from the Christine Ghalechyan, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia, HE Vassilis Maragos, Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the EU in Armenia and Head of the Secretariat, Tamar Sulukhia.

Ms. Ghalechyan reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to road safety reforms noting that there is strong political will and good progress is already being made in developing Armenia’s road safety policies.

Ambassador Maragos emphasised the important role of robust data management systems and the need for road safety to remain high on the political agenda.

The meeting covered a full report on activities and achievements from year 2, a review of the Observatory’s overall strategic objectives, and plans for the coming year.

At a glance: Key achievements from Year 2

Government representatives from Armenia and Moldova each presented progress towards improving road safety in their respective countries, which in both cases include new digital structures to facilitate data sharing between government departments enabling a more collaborative approach to road safety policy making. It was wonderful to hear that both countries also measured reductions in road fatalities in 2025.

Closing remarks by Laura Zampetti, Team Leader at the European Commission’s Director General for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood (ENEST) highlighted collaboration and continuous knowledge-sharing as key elements in achieving regional goals and overcoming common challenges. The opportunity to work alongside dedicated professionals was appreciated, with high expectations for productive discussions and meaningful developments in the sessions ahead.

More information on the work of the Observatory over the second year of operation and our plans for the coming year, will soon be available via our 2025 Annual Report.