OECD interdepartmental group discusses action plan for accession
17 April 2019 News
The third meeting of the permanent Interdepartmental Steering Mechanism (ISM) for the accession of the Republic Bulgaria to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) was held April 17 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Sterk.
The discussion focused on putting the final touches on the draft Action Plan for Bulgaria for the 2019-2020 pre-accession period, to be rolled out at the OECD headquarters in the coming days. The meeting also discussed the work of the relevant Bulgarian ministries pertinent to the country’s accession to the legal instruments and bodies of the organization, as well as Bulgaria’s participation in joint projects.
In addition to MFA, the Interdepartmental Steering Mechanism comprises also representatives of 15 ministries, as well as of the National Statistical Institute, the Nuclear Regulatory Agency, a.o.
Membership of the OECD is among the foreign policy priorities of Bulgaria, while receiving an invitation to commence negotiations is one of the government’s immediate objectives.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development was established in 1961 to promote policies aimed at the greatest possible extent of sustainable economic development, raising the living standards of the population and maintaining financial stability. The organization currently comprises 37 Member States from Europe, North America, South America and Asia. The European Commission participates in the work of the OECD as an observer.