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Bulgaria aims to complete its accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) by the end of 2026, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov announced. He spoke at the forum “Partnership for Development: the State and Business in the Process of Bulgaria’s Accession to the OECD,” organized by the British-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce, which brought together representatives of more than 70 companies, institutions, and international organizations. According to Karadjov, joining the OECD would send a strong signal to the international business community that Bulgaria offers a stable and predictable environment for investment. Membership, he said, would help strengthen public institutions, boost economic growth, improve the country’s credit rating, and contribute to a higher standard of living for its citizens. Karadjov recalled that the OECD’s origins date back 78 years to the initiative of U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall, whose post-war recovery plan laid the groundwork for the organization’s creation. Bulgaria, he noted, has been pursuing this goal for years. Since officially expressing its interest in 2007, the country has implemented extensive reforms in key areas such as taxation, labor legislation, anti-corruption policy, and competition. So far, Bulgaria has successfully completed 16 of the 25 required technical reviews conducted by OECD committees and is actively engaged in policy discussions within the organization. Karadjov pointed out that the experience of countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and the Baltic states demonstrates the positive effects of membership, including a significant rise in foreign investment and a doubling of trade volumes, particularly in the transport and logistics sectors. He emphasized that the benefits of the OECD process are already visible even before full accession, as the necessary reforms are driving modernization across state institutions and improving transparency. To ensure the process stays on track, Karadjov underlined that the National Assembly must adopt the needed legislative amendments as a top priority. At the same time, he called on Bulgarian businesses to align with OECD standards, arguing that doing so would strengthen their competitiveness and improve the country’s overall economic performance in the years ahead.
