Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva met with Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Mathias Cormann at the Organisation’s headquarters in Paris.
The key topic of the meeting was Ukraine’s integration into the OECD following the renewal of its application to join the Organisation.
“Opening a dialogue on Ukraine’s future OECD membership is an important practical and political step that we are hoping for. Ukraine is firmly committed to completing all the necessary reforms to achieve this goal. These reforms are not needed for the OECD; they are needed for Ukraine and Ukrainians. The war is not an obstacle to carrying them out,” Ihor Zhovkva stressed.
Mathias Cormann noted our country’s progress in implementing reforms under the OECD Ukraine Country Programme, which is a prerequisite for membership in the Organisation.
Ukraine continues to deepen its engagement with the OECD. It has joined 57 OECD instruments, is an associate member of 11 working groups and participates in 57 OECD bodies.
Ihor Zhovkva and Mathias Cormann also discussed how OECD standards complement Ukraine’s European path. The Deputy Head of the Office of the President thanked the OECD Secretary-General for his continued and consistent support for Ukraine.
Particular attention was paid to the security situation in Ukraine and the resilience of the state, its institutions, and its economy amid the full-scale war.
“Ukraine has unique experience in keeping state institutions and businesses functioning in wartime conditions. We are ready to share our experience of institutional resilience with OECD member countries in areas that are becoming increasingly important for the Organisation. First and foremost, these are energy and countering cyberattacks,” Ihor Zhovkva said.
The parties discussed the OECD’s role in Ukraine’s reconstruction. Our country is counting on the Organisation’s active institutional involvement in this process.
In Paris, Ihor Zhovkva also held meetings with the heads of missions to the OECD, including those from the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the United States, France, Japan, Korea, Switzerland, Australia, Hungary, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Chile.
In 2022, the OECD Council decided to recognize Ukraine as a potential member of the Organisation and begin a preliminary dialogue on accession. On June 23 this year, Ukraine renewed its request for the official opening of accession negotiations with the Organisation. On September 16, a meeting of the OECD Council is scheduled, at which the OECD member countries will consider the Ukrainian issue for the first time.