PRESS RELEASE : Ukraine’s participation in OECD working group should speed up EU integration of our country – Andriy Yermak

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 26 August 2022.

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak held the second meeting of the group to develop proposals for our country’s participation in the Working Group of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on Bribery in International Business Transactions.

Yermak said that today combating corruption is of particular importance, and Ukraine’s participation in the OECD Working Group should become one of the tools for speeding up the European integration of our country.

In addition, the fight against corruption remains among the important aspects of government policy in Ukraine and the priorities of our cooperation with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

“Today, we need to make the most of our EU’s candidate status and future candidacy in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, as well as cooperation with our partners,” the head of the President’s Office said.

He noted the high level of Ukraine’s communication with partner states and international organizations, which helps our country in confronting the aggressor.

“This is a very great motivation, a great weapon – in every sense of the word, which helps us move towards our victory. Our desire to join the OECD is an absolutely logical step,” Yermak said.

The head of the President’s Office emphasized the importance of taking clear steps to achieve the criteria for membership in the OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions and developing a package of legislative changes necessary for this.

Deputy Head of the Office of the President Andriy Smyrnov said that the first step on the way to full membership in the OECD Working Group is the status of a member of the group, which the country receives along with undergoing a preliminary evaluation of national legislation and receiving recommendations for its improvement.

On August 2, 2022, the Government of Ukraine sent a letter to the OECD with an application to join the Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions.

As the deputy head of the President’s Office said, the next meeting of the OECD Working Group is to take place in October. Then, as expected, a decision will be made regarding Ukraine’s approach to participation in this group.

To speed up the process of acquiring membership, the Ukrainian side decided to independently analyze the criteria and propose this analysis for our group to make an appropriate decision.

In general, according to Smyrnov, the criteria for joining the OECD Working Group can be divided into four segments: joining the OECD legal acts, criteria of economic factors for assessing “mutual interest,” criteria of the legislative framework for combating bribery of foreign public officials, as well as additional criteria for confirming the desire and ability to cooperate with the OECD Working Group.

The participants of the meeting reviewed the analysis of the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions and proposals regarding the provisions that need to be introduced into Ukrainian legislation.

“Ukraine is already sufficiently prepared for joining the OECD Working Group, but there are a number of requirements that shall be met,” Smyrnov said.

The participants also discussed the work plan for the next meeting.