European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström in her response reminded that "regarding OECD's enlargement the EU's position remains the same since 2007: all EU Member States that are not OECD members and apply for membership, should be recognised as eligible to join the OECD and expressly included in the accession process. This is the point of view that the European Commission, as an EU representative in the OECD, and other Member States advocate in the OECD enlargement debate and regret the fact that two Member States departed from it".
MEP Picula is extremely pleased with her reaction: "This kind of response from European Commission confirms once more that threats and blockades between Member States are not and cannote be a way of solving bilateral problems between the European Union", Picula said and emphasized that Croatia took all the necessary measures to meet the formal membership criteria, and last year in June, it was accepted into the OECD Competition Committee. Although Croatia is not a member yet, it cooperates actively with the OECD in economic and development matters and in several other fields.
Commissioner Malmström also considers that Croatia fulfils the criteria to start accession talks for the OECD membership and is well placed to join this organisation in the light of the sophistication and demands of the EU acquis.
You can read MEP Picula's question as well as Commissioner Malmström's answer on the link.
