According to Bonucci, Lithuania has made significant progress towards its membership of the organization over the past six months. Bonucci said that he was pleased with cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The institution has been coordinating the accession process. Bonucci also thanked the Minister Linkevičius for his personal involvement and support for Lithuania’s reform programme.
The OECD’s representative drew attention to the fact that there were still many challenges ahead. The country needs to adopt a number of important investment laws, to improve its land sales procedure, to reform state-owned forestry and road maintenance enterprises, and to continue efforts to fight corruption.
Linkevičius thanked the OECD for its insight and the good pieces of advice regarding the implementation of reforms in the country.
“The OECD’s membership has been our priority and there is a consensus among all state institutions on that issue. When implementing the OECD’s recommendations, Lithuania will continue its reforms and will seek to receive an invitation to join the organization next year already,” said Lithuania’s Foreign Minister.
The OECD delegation has met with representatives from the Parliament (Seimas), the Government, the Office of the President and other institutions. In the meetings, the officials discussed key accession challenges, planned further activities and clarified the membership’s terms.
There are currently 35 members of the OECD. They include many of the most economically advanced countries in the world. The international community recognizes the membership of the OECD as a guarantor of the country’s economic stability and long term well-being. After joining the OECD, Lithuania will be able to expect to attract more investment that will create jobs. The OECD’s membership is also expected to benefit the country by reducing international borrowing costs.
