site.btaForeign Minister: OECD Recognizes and Appreciates Bulgaria's Efforts

Bulgaria's efforts are recognized and appreciated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel said Thursday, quoted by the Foreign Ministry. The report on Bulgaria takes into account the political stability of this country with the assumption of the functions of the regular government and considers that it is moving at a good pace, which has visibly accelerated in recent months, she added.

Gabriel chaired a meeting of the Interdepartmental Coordination Mechanism (ICM) in the Foreign Ministry, during which the status of Bulgaria’s accession process to the OECD was reviewed, as well as the results of the missions and assessments carried out so far in the framework of the technical reviews.

"The results of the accession discussions held so far in OECD committees and working groups are encouraging. Our country has already received a positive opinion from four working groups", said Gabriel. She thanked the participants in the meeting and the departments they represent for the hard work, the results achieved and the their commitment.

"The process of joining the OECD involves a serious workload for the whole administration. To be able to move at a good pace so that we complete the process within three years, which is our goal, it is necessary that the tasks related to the OECD continue to be addressed with priority attention," the Foreign Minister underlined. "Bulgaria is progressing confidently, but we should not underestimate the challenges we have to face," Gabriel added.

In this context, a draft decision of the Council of Ministers was discussed on determining the composition of the OECD team at the Bulgarian Embassy in Paris, France. It is envisaged that in addition to diplomats from the Foreign Ministry, the OECD team will also include representatives of the Finance Ministry, the Finance Ministry, the Innovation Ministry, and if necessary, the team may be expanded to include representatives of other institutions. "Our country should be an active participant in the activities of the OECD working bodies and it is important that Bulgaria's representatives are involved in the discussions on the ground," Gabriel stressed.