Accession to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is the next step on Romania’s road to modernization, development and prosperity, prime minister Nicolae Ciuca said, on Thursday, at the event „Accession to the OECD – opportunities for the Romanian business environment”, organized by the Government of Romania in collaboration with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development to mark one year since the start of the process on our country’s accession to this organization, according to Agerpres.

„After a wait that lasted 18 years, last year, Romania was invited to start the OECD accession process. Romania’s accession to the OECD has become a major foreign policy objective and a strategic objective of the country, after the accession to the European Union and NATO, and the opening of the accession talks is a recognition of our development potential. At the same time, it represents an important vote of confidence granted to Romania, which we want to capitalize on,” highlighted Nicolae Ciuca.

According to the head of the Government, the accession process requires an alignment with the entire set of legal instruments of the OECD, representing 26 fields and over 230 legal instruments.

He pointed out that the accession process to the OECD is somewhat facilitated by the commitments assumed through the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), and these two projects – the reforms assumed through the PNRR and the standards set through the roadmap for accession to the organization – are complementary.

At the same time, the prime minister also declared that the Government proposes an honest and solid partnership with the business environment, which represents an important vector in Romania’s modernization.

OECD membership is, he added, a strong indicator of confidence for domestic and international investors, a catalyst that drives the stimulation of direct investments and strengthens the confidence of international markets in domestic economic stability.

As regards the current economic situation in Romania, the prime minister said, in 2022, Romania’s Gross Domestic Product increased by almost 50 billion euros compared to the previous year, namely 4.9 percent, representing a significant increase, equivalent to the entire GDP of our country 20 years ago.

The head of the Executive emphasized that the benefits of joining the OECD for Romanian companies will include access to the expertise of OECD specialists in areas such as new digital technologies, the green transition or the promotion of responsible business behaviour.

Agerpres