Estonia ready to contribute to OECD

TALLINN - At his meeting with the Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Angel Gurria, in Kadriorg on June 3, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves emphasized that Estonia has every intention in participating actively in the work of the organization. “Participation in the work of the OECD means close cooperation between the member states - dialogue involving the implementation of principles of consensus and learning from each other’s best experiences. Estonia has the objective of participating actively in the process,” said President Ilves.

According to Ilves, joining the OECD means gaining access to information and specialists for Estonia. “Estonia highly values the OECD’s expertise. We have already benefited from it, during both the accession negotiations and earlier within the framework of the Baltic regional program,” the head of State added.

Ilves emphasized the role of the OECD as an acknowledged center for economic analysis. “Several analytical reports have already been prepared for Estonia. Access to different comparative information is no less important; today it is rather difficult to find information which would allow us to compare ourselves with the rest of the world,” he said.
The restoration of the world economy was also in focus at the meeting; the latest economic forecast of the OECD was discussed - it states that the world’s economy is showing the first signs of recovery; however, combating high unemployment rates will continue to be a challenge.

The Estonian head of State thanked the Secretary-General for his personal contribution to the enlargement process.
Later that same day Prime Minister Andrus Ansip and Gurria signed Estonia’s accession agreement with the OECD, at Stenbock House in Tallinn. Ansip stressed that accession to the OECD is an event of symbolic importance for Estonia and is international recognition for the reforms that have been implemented. “Accession to the OECD is a great privilege for Estonia. This means that our development to date has been recognized and we have valuable experiences to share with the world’s most developed countries,” Ansip said.

The prime minister also emphasized that the process of acceding to the OECD has been very productive for Estonia. “The OECD is renowned for its independent analyses, and already during the accession process Estonia has been the recipient of very good expert advice.” For instance, based on OECD recommendations, the Employment Contracts Act was passed, which allows for more flexible regulation of the labor market, and in order to guarantee Estonia’s sustainable development, the government decided to increase the retirement age this year.

According to Ansip, as a full member of the OECD, Estonia can share the positive experiences it has acquired while reforming the country. “Many OECD recommendations have become generally recognized international standards,” he stated and added that Estonia is very honored to be among those that determine global standards.

The prime minister said that Estonia’s membership in the OECD is of symbolic importance. “It is a significant sign of Estonia’s arrival among the world’s most highly developed countries,” Ansip added. He also stated that, on the one hand, this is important for foreign investors, for whom OECD membership is a guarantee of the quality of a country’s economic and socio-political environment. Also, all of Estonia’s residents benefit from OECD membership, since independent analyses enable the government to make decisions that make the country more efficient and economical. “This will result in the taxpayers receiving better public services for less money,” Ansip explained. The prime minister stated that membership in the OECD will provide Estonia with access to the world’s best reform experiences, from economic issues to social policy.

Estonia will become a full member of the OECD after the accession agreement is ratified by the Riigikogu.