site.bta Romania Aims to Join OECD by End-2026, President Nicusor Dan Says

Romania’s accession to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is a strategic goal by the end of 2026, President Nicusor Dan said in a live-stream on Tuesday.

The President spoke at the Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest, where he welcomed heads of diplomatic missions and consular offices, along with directors of Romanian cultural institutes, during the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy, held for the second day in the capital.

Nicusor Dan highlighted that the Romanian economy will begin to restart after completing the ongoing reforms. Having a competitive private sector, Romania still needs a strategy and diplomatic efforts, he added.

Dan said that a new national defence strategy will be finalized in the autumn of 2025, stressing the need for defence investments and highlighting the potential of the European Commission’s SAFE instrument.

The President highlighted Romania’s potential to develop into a strategic hub linking Europe with Asia and Africa, stressing the importance of incorporating the Black Sea strategy into this vision. He also focused on the need to actively engage the Bucharest-9 format, a security dialogue platform bringing together nine NATO Eastern flank countries, including Bulgaria.

Dan also said that Romania lacks a clear strategy for its diaspora, urging the Foreign Ministry and the Presidency to conduct a comprehensive assessment of their needs.

He reaffirmed Romania’s continued support for Ukraine and Moldova and called for a stronger strategic partnership with the United States, particularly in security and economic cooperation.