Bulgaria is nearing the end of the technical phase of its accession to OECD

Bulgaria is nearing the end of the technical phase of its accession process to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). As of May 2026, our country has successfully completed reviews in 18 of the Organization’s 25 working bodies. This is evident from an official response from Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova to Member of Parliament Martin Dimitrov.

The formal opinion on closing the file in the Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions is expected to be received shortly, where negotiations were successfully concluded in March of this year. This will bring the number of closed pre-accession chapters to 19.

What are the remaining four areas?

To fully complete the technical phase, Sofia must cover the remaining ground in four more areas: The successful closure of these chapters requires urgent legislative action related to the management of state-owned enterprises, waste management, the implementation of the OECD Codes on Liberalization, as well as the strengthening of the judicial system and the fight against corruption. The relevant draft laws are already in the process of preparation or public consultation prior to their submission to the 52nd National Assembly.

• The Working Group on State Ownership and Privatization Practices under the Corporate Governance Committee;
• The Working Group on Resource Efficiency and Waste under the Environmental Policy Committee;
• The Investment Committee;
• The Public Administration Committee, together with its Working Group on Public Integrity and the Fight Against Corruption.

Amendments to the Investment Promotion Act

A special focus of the negotiations is also the pending amendments to the Investment Promotion Act. These concern the operation of the foreign investment screening mechanism. The aim of the amendments is to ensure equal treatment of OECD member states that remain outside the European Union.

“The successful completion of the OECD accession process this year and Bulgaria’s attainment of full membership depend crucially on the timely adoption of these legislative changes”, emphasized Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova.

It is of key importance that Parliament review and vote on the package of laws as a priority by the end of July this year. This will allow for the finalization of technical reviews in all remaining committees by 2026 and the receipt of an official invitation to join by the end of the year.

Timeline of the Process

We recall that after years of diplomatic efforts, in January 2022, the OECD officially decided to begin talks with Bulgaria regarding the country’s membership. In June of the same year, our country received its Roadmap, defining the parameters and conditions of the negotiations.

In compliance with the requirements, Sofia submitted its Initial Memorandum, containing a self-assessment of the alignment of national legislation with OECD legal instruments. The subsequent phase involved detailed sector-specific technical reviews, accompanied by on-site expert missions by the Organization. The technical review itself assesses the extent to which our country’s policies and practices comply with the high standards of the “rich club.”

Sofia Grozdanova is working on this topic.

Translated with DeepL.