Minister Coveney welcomes first step in OECD accession discussions

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Simon Coveney, welcomed today’s decision by the Council of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to open accession discussions with six candidate countries for OECD membership – Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Peru and Romania.

On the OECD decision, Minister Coveney said:

"I welcome the decision to open accession discussions with the six candidates for OECD membership, which sends a strong signal from the OECD membership that we remain an open and globally relevant institution working proactively to bring countries around the world closer to our shared values, principles and standards.

"This is a welcome first step and I look forward to Ireland’s engagement in the next stages of the accession process. Ireland will support these candidate countries as they undertake the necessary reforms and steps to adhere to OECD instruments and standards that will be of benefit to their societies and economies."

This decision follows careful consideration by OECD Members of prospective candidates’ progress towards the requirements set out in the Framework for Consideration of Prospective Members. This is the first step in the process, the outcome of which depends on each candidate country’s capacity to align with the Organisation’s standards and best practices.

Notes

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development compromises of 38 member countries and the EU. The mission of the OECD is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world - summed up in its slogan "Better Policies for Better Lives".

As a next step in the accession process, candidate countries are to invited confirm their commitment to the values, vision and priorities of the OECD as set out in the OECD’s [external-link https://www.oecd.org/mcm/MCM_2021_Part2 %5bC-MIN_2021_16-FINAL.en%5d.pdf | 60th Anniversary Vision Statement ] and the Ministerial Council Statement adopted last year. They set out the values shared by OECD Members, including the preservation of individual liberty, the values of democracy, the rule of law and the protection of human rights, and the value of open, trading, competitive, sustainable and transparent market economies. They also refer to OECD Members’ commitment to promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth and their goals to tackle climate change, including halting and reversing biodiversity loss and deforestation.

As a next stage, individual Accession Roadmaps will be considered and adopted by the OECD Council, setting out the terms, conditions and process for accession.

The OECD will then undertake an evaluation of each candidate country’s alignment with OECD standards and instruments by over 20 technical committees. These reviews will focus on priority issues such as progress on public governance, integrity and anti-corruption efforts, adherence to environmental standards and climate action, and open trade and investment standards and practices.

As a result of these technical reviews, changes to the candidate countries’ legislation, policy and practices will be required to bring them into line with OECD standards and best practices.

There is no deadline for completion of the accession process. The outcome and timeline depends on each candidate country’s capacity to align with the Organisation’s standards and best practices.