Bulgaria starts accession talks to join OECD
10 June 2022 News
On 10 June 2022, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) formally launched accession talks with Bulgaria on June 2022 by approving a Roadmap with the parameters, stages and conditions of the accession process.
This took place during the OECD Council’s annual ministerial meeting in Paris on 9 and 10 June 2022.
The Bulgarian delegation to the ministerial meeting of the OECD Council included Velislava Petrova, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Ivaylo Iaydjiev, Deputy Minister of Finance.
Deputy Minister Velislava Petrova described the day of the adoption of the Roadmap as “historic” and said that Bulgaria shares the vision, values and priorities of the Organisation - individual freedoms, democracy, rule of law, protection of human rights, open and transparent market economy. The accession process aims to confirm that our country is indeed committed to these values and priorities.
Bulgaria will endeavor to successfully conclude the membership talks as soon as possible and the accession process will accelerate important national reforms for better governance, Deputy Minister Petrova added. Our country will have the opportunity to assess the conformity of its legislation and policies with OECD best practices and standards and, in cooperation with the Secretariat and Member States, to develop ways to improve them.
In the current complex geopolitical situation, provoked by the large-scale Russian aggression in Ukraine, Bulgaria, as part of the global community of democratic states, contributes to strengthening multilateralism and the rules-based international order, seriously threatened by Russia’s actions.
Bulgaria’s accession to the OECD will also contribute to the dissemination of the Organization’s standards and principles in the whole region of South-East Europe, Deputy Minister Petrova further emphasized.
The OECD ministerial meeting this year is chaired by Italy and was opened by Prime Minister Mario Draghi. The theme of the conference was “The Future We Want - Better Policies for the Next Generation and a Sustainable Transition”. During the two days of the conference, the ministers discussed global challenges arising from the economic consequences of Russia’s large-scale aggression, trade and environmental sustainability, relations with Africa, including through the prism of energy cooperation, youth policies, pandemic prevention and preparedness, green and digital transition. Bulgaria’s participation in the ministerial meeting provided an opportunity for our country to present its point of view on current global issues.
Joining the OECD is a major foreign policy priority and will bring a number of benefits. The Organisation is a kind of club of best practices and best policies. The OECD’s motto is “Better Policies for Better Lives” and its main objective is to achieve a higher standard of living for all citizens. Membership will boost confidence in our country’s economic system, attract investment and improve business conditions. This, in turn, will lead to more opportunities and more jobs. High OECD standards will support effective governance, sustainable economic growth, clean environment efforts and the reduction of inequalities. The organisation has developed instruments in important areas for Bulgaria, such as education, youth, the labour market and high technology. Detailed OECD statistics will facilitate policy making. The accession process is expected to strengthen confidence in the institutions to serve the citizens in the spirit of integrity, transparency and accountability.
By joining the OECD, Bulgaria will have the opportunity to actively participate and have a voice in the search for solutions to current global challenges. Membership will enable us to compare and benchmark ourselves with other member states, to learn from their experiences and practices.
The OECD Council also approved accession roadmaps for Brazil, Peru, Romania and Croatia. Bulgaria received an invitation to start accession talks on 25 January 2022 and the very next day Prime Minister Kiril Petkov confirmed Bulgaria’s readiness to start the accession process.
Bulgaria applies for OECD membership in 2007. More information on the Bulgarian application can be found in the special section of the MFA webpage.
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