Minister Georg Georgiev Chairs Meeting of the Interinstitutional Coordination Mecha-nism on Bulgaria’s Accession to the OECD, with Participation of OECD Secretariat Representatives
12 June 2025 News
On 11 June 2025, a meeting of the Interinstitutional Coordination Mechanism (ICM) on Bulgaria’s accession to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the chairmanship of Minister Georg Georgiev. The meeting was attended by a delegation from the OECD Secretariat, led by Ms Geeta Kothari, OECD Enlargement Process Coordinator.
Minister Georgiev identified Bulgaria’s accession to the OECD as a strategic national priority, the achievement of which will have a direct and positive impact on the country’s economic and social development. He noted the significant progress made thus far in preparing for membership, with Bulgaria now approaching the final phase of the process. He expressed his appreciation to the national institutions involved in the ICM for their strong and consistent engagement in completing the technical reviews for Bulgaria’s accession across OECD working bodies, as well as to the OECD Secretariat for its active and close cooperation.
The Foreign Minister also briefed ICM members on his recent discussions with OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann, held during his participation in the OECD Council Meeting at ministerial level in Paris on 3–4 June. He reaffirmed the political ambition of the Bulgarian government to finalise the preparatory process as soon as possible, with the aim of receiving an invitation to join the Organisation in 2026. In this context, he stressed the importance of maintaining full mobilisation of national efforts to meet the remaining OECD requirements and recommendations.
The OECD Secretariat delegation commended the progress achieved to date and Bulgaria’s commitment to active engagement within OECD structures. It was agreed that, with sustained momentum, there is a realistic prospect of completing the implementation of OECD recommendations by the end of 2025.
The OECD Secretariat delegation is undertaking a two-day working visit to Sofia. The programme includes meetings with the coordination team at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives of Bulgarian state institutions, and members of the recently established Subcommittee in the National Assembly tasked with supporting the country’s OECD accession process.
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