Yerevan opposition councillors slam rushed approval of 2030 climate and energy plan

Opposition members of Yerevan’s City Council strongly criticised the mayor’s office on Tuesday for seeking approval of a 200-plus-page climate and energy action plan with little time for review, questioning both the process and the substance of the proposal.

The debate unfolded as the council considered a draft decision to approve Yerevan’s Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP), a document outlining measures the Municipality plans to implement by 2030 to cut greenhouse-gas emissions by at least 30% from 2012 levels.

Presenting the plan, Sirarpi Haykazyan, acting head of the city administration’s environmental department, said the document was developed within the framework of the EU Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, which Yerevan joined in April 2021. Approval of the plan would enable the Municipality to apply for international grants when implementing large-scale and costly projects, she added.

Opposition councillors said the document, variously described as running to 200–250 pages, had been circulated only two or three days before the meeting, making meaningful scrutiny impossible.

“What exactly do you expect now — a substantive discussion or an imitation of one?” said Tigran Petrosyan of the National Progress faction.

Haykazyan argued that the plan largely reflects measures already included in the city’s development program and said she did not believe a “strictly professional, in-depth study” was necessary for the municipal council to adopt the decision. She later clarified that this was her personal opinion.

Mesrop Manukyan of the Mother Armenia faction was more critical, calling the situation “a disgrace” and accusing the administration of copying sections from existing development documents. He said the plan made no substantive reference to a new landfill or a waste-processing plant.

“As someone with ten years’ experience in education and an academic degree, I say with full responsibility: it is impossible to read, analyse and seriously discuss a complex 250-page report in two days,” Manukyan said, addressing Mayor Tigran Avinyan. “By doing this, you are devaluiManukyaMunicipality and the institution of the council.”

In response, Haykazyan said that plans for waste management were under way and that an investor tender had been announced in late December, with a March 27 deadline for bids.

Manukyan dismissed the explanation with sarcasm, suggesting that following ruling party briefings would require believing in unfulfilled infrastructure promises, including a metro line to Ajapnyak and other long-delayed projects.