site.btaUPDATED Prime Minister Confers with OECD Secretary General Mathias Cormann

“Bulgaria has the ambition this year to undergo as many reviews as possible in the OECD committees and I hope that the accession process will be completed as soon as possible,” said Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, meeting with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Secretary General Mathias Cormann. The two talked on the sidelines of the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting in Paris, the government information service said on Thursday.

Prime Minister Glavchev said that Bulgaria is ready for intensive negotiations. "We strive to implement the recommendations addressed to us," Glavchev said. He pointed out that at the second session of the OECD Global Parliamentary Network held in April, the Bulgarian side confirmed its commitment to the formation of a special parliamentary committee responsible for the discussion and adoption of legislation related to the process of our accession to the Organisation.

Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev also focused on Bulgaria's support for OECD regional initiatives and in particular the Regional Programme for South East Europe. It promotes reforms in the region to strengthen the private sector, attract investment and prepare countries for EU membership and to implement OECD standards. Prime Minister Glavchev also highlighted Bulgaria's readiness for voluntary financial contributions in support of Ukraine by concluding an Agreement on participation in the OECD Programme for the country. The agreement was ratified by the National Assembly on April 23 this year.

In the course of the talks, Glavchev thanked Secretary General Mathias Cormann for his support and commitment in the process of Bulgaria's accession to the OECD. The Prime Minister also stressed the excellent interaction with the OECD Secretariat and the Committees. Glavchev expressed his confidence that this active dialogue contributes to finding the most appropriate solutions to the recommendations made.

The government information service quoted Glavchev as saying that Bulgaria has a specific deadline for joining the OECD for the first time. The talks made it clear that the horizon for Bulgaria's accession is the end of 2025. A total of 31 OECD committee reports on Bulgaria have been adopted, while another 26 remain.