Foreign Minister: OECD Accession a Strategic Choice for Bulgaria

Veneta Litkova

Outgoing Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev, Sofia, February 6, 2026 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs Photo)

Sofia,

06.02.2026 15:29

(BTA)

Outgoing Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev said that having joined Schengen and the euro area, Bulgaria’s bid to join the Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development (OECD) should be regarded as a long-term strategic choice rather than merely a technical procedure or a foreign policy objective. In his words, the process is about how the country governs its economy, institutions and public policies, and about Bulgaria’s ambition to develop as a modern and prosperous state with a democratic society and a functioning market economy, the Foreign Ministry said here Friday.

Georgiev spoke at a public lecture delivered by OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann, organized by the Diplomatic Institute to the Minister of Foreign Affairs together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Sofia University.

Georgiev pointed to the government’s focused efforts to move the accession process forward and said Bulgaria has taken a clear and irreversible course towards OECD membership, despite the challenges that come with any such process.

He also noted that successive governments have worked towards this goal, treating it as a cross-party commitment to establishing Bulgaria as a predictable and reliable partner in the global economic community.

Georgiev welcomed Bulgaria’s initiative to host the OECD Global Skills Summit in 2028, describing it as further evidence of the country’s long-term interest in working closely with the Organisation on this key policy issue.

He added that the visit of the OECD Secretary-General reflects the strong level of cooperation and personal engagement with the OECD’s enlargement process and its role as a global community of 38 countries on five continents united by shared values such as democracy, good governance and a sustainable, inclusive economy.

Mathias Cormann, who is visiting for the presentation of the third OECD Economic Survey of Bulgaria, welcomed the progress made so far and said the country continues to move in the right direction.

/RY/