Prime Minister: We aim to join the OECD next year
Ukraine is striving to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) next year. Despite the ongoing war, the country is implementing structural reforms, aligning regulatory mechanisms with international standards, creating favourable conditions for investors, and harmonising legislation with European norms.
This was emphasised by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during a meeting of the OECD Council at the ministerial level. He noted that two years ago, the OECD Programme for Ukraine was launched, with 23 joint initiatives implemented and Ukraine acceding to eight legal instruments.
“We have achieved significant results in combating corruption. We have established and operationalised an anti-corruption infrastructure and have practically implemented the State Anti-Corruption Programme, which aligns with OECD criteria by 80%,” Denys Shmyhal stated.
He highlighted that the digitalisation of state processes eliminated opportunities for corruption, with tools such as the Unified State Open Data Web Portal, the Prozorro electronic procurement system, and the DREAM digital ecosystem for accountable recovery already showing positive results.
“We are undertaking comprehensive deregulation. In particular, we have abolished up to 2,000 regulatory instruments across various economic sectors, removed bureaucratic barriers for businesses, and aligned numerous legal acts with European standards,” Denys Shmyhal stressed.
The Prime Minister also noted progress in implementing OECD standards in privatisation and corporatisation. Last year, open privatisation auctions increased asset values by an average of 1.5 times, with privatisation revenues exceeding planned figures by 2.5 times. A triage of state-owned enterprises was conducted, identifying companies for independent supervisory boards and improving transparent procurement processes.
“As a result of our reforms, the experience of everyday corruption among Ukrainians has dropped from 70% to 15% in recent years. This is a transformative indicator, shifting the paradigm of state development from post-soviet to European. We know that the changes happening today are the foundation for Ukraine’s recovery, growth, and prosperity for generations to come,” Denys Shmyhal concluded.