Bucharest, September 15, 2025 — The Europe Today: Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Mathias Cormann, paid an official visit to Romania on Monday, holding high-level talks with President Nicușor Dan and Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan. During the visit, Cormann expressed confidence that Romania could successfully complete its accession process to the OECD by 2026.
Founded in 1961, the OECD is an intergovernmental body that provides policy advice to governments. It currently comprises 38 member states, representing some of the world’s most developed economies. Romania launched its accession process in June 2022 and has since made significant progress.
Following his meeting with the OECD delegation, President Nicușor Dan emphasized that joining the organization remains a strategic priority for Romania. He underscored that accession would represent international recognition of the country’s developed economic status and would be followed by “significant economic progress,” citing increased foreign investment and access to favorable financing as expected outcomes.
“Romania’s accession process is progressing very well: more than half of the technical evaluations have already been successfully completed. If we maintain this pace, Romania will join the OECD next year,” President Dan stated.
Cormann, speaking after talks with Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, echoed this optimism while noting that the government has set “an ambitious but achievable” target of completing the accession process in 2026. He confirmed that Romania is now entering the final stages of the process, with 15 of the 25 OECD committees having already issued positive conclusions.
Prime Minister Bolojan highlighted the broader benefits of accession, stressing that membership would strengthen Romania’s international credibility and boost investor confidence. “Our place is in the OECD. We are determined to do everything that depends on us for Romania to join the OECD next year,” he affirmed.
Cormann’s agenda also includes meetings with the presidents of the two Chambers of Parliament, Mircea Abrudean and Sorin Grindeanu.
To qualify for OECD membership, candidate countries must demonstrate a commitment to democratic governance, maintain open-market economies, and meet a series of institutional standards. Romania is scheduled to undergo an economic analysis evaluation in March 2026 as part of the final stages of the process.
In addition to Romania, seven other countries currently hold candidate status: Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Indonesia, Peru, and Thailand, according to Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
