Yerevan Municipality to Tighten Sanctions to Eliminate Street Trading

The Yerevan Municipality has initiated legislative changes that allow for the confiscation of goods from illegal street vendors.

A series of amendments regulating mobile and itinerant trading have been proposed to the Law on Trade and Services, as well as provisions regarding the application of sanctions in the event of violations. The relevant legislative package has already been sent to the National Assembly.

According to Yerevan Mayor's press secretary Hakob Karapetyan, the municipality currently does not have the authority to confiscate goods from street traders. However, in some cases, confiscation can occur if there are sanitary issues.

The spokesperson stated that the proposed amendments will introduce clear regulations, including time restrictions for mobile trading points. This means that a time schedule will be proposed to traders, indicating the hours during which they can sell their goods on the street. Traders will also have the option to choose their trading location. They will be provided with electronic cards to select a location that suits them for a given day and time.

Traders will have the opportunity to move their mobile shop or food point to another location on specific days based on demand and appropriateness. However, they will also need to comply with requirements regarding the appearance and size of their mobile shops.

“There are, so to speak, trading points that are on the sidewalks and have been stationary in the same place for months, even years, occupying the same space. The city authorities are currently battling the multitude of illegal kiosks. Under the guise of mobile trading, we have kiosks on the sidewalks, which causes inconvenience,” noted Hakob Karapetyan.

Despite the patrols and numerous requests from municipal staff, this is not the first instance of traders temporarily leaving the sidewalks only to return with determination shortly thereafter. Therefore, after a prolonged struggle, the Yerevan Municipality has concluded that to eliminate street trading, sanctions must be tightened.