Ukraine plans to join the OECD "club of rich countries" in 2026 – Shmyhal
Ukraine expects to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) next year. This was stated by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during a ministerial meeting of the OECD Council.
According to him, despite the full-scale war, Ukraine continues to implement structural reforms, improve regulatory mechanisms in line with international standards, create conditions for investors, and harmonize national legislation with European norms.
"We have achieved significant results in the fight against corruption. We have created and launched the anti-corruption infrastructure, practically implemented the State Anti-Corruption Program, which meets the OECD criteria by 80%," Shmyhal said .
He also emphasized the positive effect of the digitalization of government processes. Examples include the Unified State Open Data Web Portal, the Prozorro electronic procurement system, and the DREAM digital ecosystem used for accountable recovery.
"We are carrying out comprehensive deregulation. In particular, we have already abolished up to 2,000 regulatory instruments in various sectors of the economy, eliminated bureaucratic barriers for business, and brought a number of legal acts closer to European standards," the Prime Minister added .
Shmyhal said that Ukraine has made progress in implementing OECD standards in the field of privatization and corporatization. According to him, last year's open privatization auctions provided an average increase in the value of assets by 1.5 times, and budget revenues exceeded the planned figures by 2.5 times.
He also noted that a triage of state-owned enterprises was conducted, companies were identified to form independent supervisory boards, and the system of transparent procurement was improved.
"As a result of our reforms, the experience of everyday corruption among Ukrainians has decreased from 70% to 15% in recent years. This is an indicator that changes the paradigm of state development from post-Soviet to European," the Prime Minister emphasized .
The OECD program for Ukraine was launched two years ago. Since then, 23 joint activities have been implemented, and Ukraine has joined eight legal instruments of the organization.
The OECD was established in 1961 on the basis of an organization that had been involved in the reconstruction of post-war Europe since 1948 with American funds under the Marshall Plan. Today, the OECD is engaged in the development of the organization's members .
For a long time, the organization was composed exclusively of the most developed countries in the world, which is why it was informally called the "club of rich countries." It currently unites 38 countries, including most of the European Union, the United States, Australia, Korea, Japan, etc., and plans to accept new members. The headquarters is located in Paris .
The OECD also actively cooperates with non-member states within the framework of specialized programs and international events.
- on July 5, 2022, Ukraine applied for accession to the OECD.
- On July 7, 2023, the OECD launched a four-year program for Ukraine as part of the initial accession dialogue.
- On November 11, 2024, Ukraine joined the Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries on Agriculture and Fisheries and its two subsidiary bodies in the OECD system.
- In December 2024, Ukraine agreed to implement OECD standards on combating bribery of foreign officials.
