"There are some points that need to be addressed and sped up, which is improving the effectiveness of management of state-owned enterprises, such as forestry enterprises. Whether we like it or not, we can't expect a faster accession unless we change the governance system," he told BNS.
Butkevicius gave no details as to what other state-owned companies required more attention in terms of governance efficiency, but underlined that the government was taking OECD experts' recommendations into consideration.
OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria said during his visit to Lithuania in mid-March that the country did not need 43 different companies to manage its forests.
He also said that Lithuania's state-owned enterprises had to be managed in a transparent manner and had to pay dividends.
According to Economy Minister Evaldas Gustas, the first team of OECD experts will come to Lithuania in June to assess how the country is implementing the organization's recommendations.
Lithuania lags behind its EU neighbors in the OECD accession process. Poland joined the organization in 1996 and Estonia was admitted in 2010. Latvia on Wednesday received an invitation to join the OECD, often referred to as a club of advanced economies.
