Deputy Minister Velizar Shalamanov Chairs Meeting of the Interdepartmental Coordination Mechanism on Bulgaria’s Accession to the OECD
07 May 2026 News
On 7 May this year, a meeting of the Interdepartmental 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 Deputy Minister Velizar Shalamanov. Representatives of all ministries and other executive branch institutions involved in the accession process took part in the meeting.
During the session, participants conducted a comprehensive review of the progress achieved to date and the next steps required to complete the technical phase of the accession process, in line with the political ambition of securing an invitation for Bulgaria to join the Organisation within the current year. Deputy Minister Shalamanov expressed gratitude on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in its capacity as coordinating institution, for the intensive efforts undertaken by all institutions, including throughout the mandate of the caretaker government, in pursuit of this strategic foreign policy objective for Bulgaria. He encouraged all stakeholders to maintain the highest possible level of commitment to implementing the OECD’s remaining priority recommendations in the coming weeks and months under the leadership of the new regular government and in close cooperation with the National Assembly regarding measures requiring legislative amendments.
The continuation of preparations for Bulgaria’s accession to the OECD was among the leading priorities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the mandate of the caretaker government. Bulgaria is currently in the final stage of the technical review phase assessing the compliance of Bulgarian legislation, policies and practices with the Organisation’s existing legal instruments. To date, Bulgaria has successfully completed reviews in 19 of the 25 OECD working bodies involved in the accession process. Some of the outstanding recommendations require amendments to existing legislation. The Action Plan reviewed by the Interdepartmental Coordination Mechanism, including proposals for specific deadlines and responsibilities regarding the necessary actions by Bulgaria, will be submitted to the attention of the new leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the adoption of the required political decisions aimed at securing Bulgaria’s accession in 2026.
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