A Мeeting of the Inter-institutional Coordination Mechanism for the Accession of Bulgaria to the OECD with the Participation of OECD Representatives
14 November 2024 News
A meeting of the Inter-institutional Coordination Mechanism (ICM) for the Republic of Bulgaria's accession to the OECD took place on November 14, 2024 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the participation of a delegation from the OECD’s Legal Affairs Directorate, led by Ms. Gita Kothari, the OECD Accession Coordinator.
The chair of the meeting, Deputy Foreign Minister Maria Angelieva, underlined the excellent cooperation between Bulgaria and the OECD Secretariat. She pointed out that full membership to the Organization remains a top national priority. Over the recent months the Bulgarian government has consistently intensified its efforts in the accession process.
Membership in the OECD is not only a strategic goal but also represents a strong commitment to aligning Bulgaria’s policies and practices to the best international standards in the economic, social, and environmental areas, as well as achieving a higher living standard for the Bulgarian citizens and more efficient work of the administration.
The representatives of the OECD Secretariat provided a summary of the progress achieved in the accession process so far. They expressed their readiness to support Bulgarian government institutions and outlined the next stages, which Bulgaria must undergo to achieve full membership in the Organization. Members of the ICM had the opportunity to ask questions and make comments regarding the accession process.
The OECD representatives are in Sofia on a two-day visit. They have a series of political and expert-level meetings with various government ministries to discuss Bulgaria’s accession progress in more detail, including challenges, timelines and procedures. A shared ambition of both parties is to conclude the technical negotiations by the end of 2025 and achieve Bulgaria’s full-fledged membership in the OECD in 2026.
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