OECD Delegation Visits Slovenia

A delegation from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) under the leadership of the director of the centre for co-operation with non-member countries, Eric Burgeat arrived on a two day visit to Slovenia on Thursday, 2 March. During the visit the delegates were received by the Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel and the chairman of the office for macro-economic analysis and development, Janez Potocnik. The delegation also met with the Minister for Economic Affairs Tea Petrin, Finance Minister Mitja Gaspari and Transport Minister Anton Bergauer.

In his talks with Burgeat, Slovenian Foreign Minister pointed out that the OECD membership is among the priorities of Slovenia's foreign policy. Slovenia applied for the OECD membership in March 1996 and signed an agreement on administrative co-operation. Slovenia participates as an observer in two OECD working bodies and Rupel expressed a wish for a deeper institutional co-operation. Burgeat said that a future organisation of the OECD is currently under discussion and recommended a more intensive co-operation of Slovenia with the organisation.

During discussions with the UMAR Director Janez Potocnik and his deputy Janez Sustersic a special attention was directed to the 1997 research that the OECD conducted in Slovenia and changes that occurred since then. The research pointed out inflation, price increase, the reform of the pension system, the reform of banking system, unemployment, and the lack of foreign investments as Slovenia's key problems. The possibility of a new research in Slovenia is small due to limited financial means for research at the OECD. However, the possibility of an overview of investment policy in Slovenia was mentioned as a part of a research on strengthened co-operation in foreign investments.

Slovenia already acts as an observer in the OECD programme LEED, which promotes development on local levels. Slovenia is also interested in obtaining observer status in the OECD bodies dealing with industrial policy, steel-works, small and middle-sized companies, international co-operation, rational usage of power, and the use of technology in renewable sources of energy.

A panel on the OECD, with an opening speech by Minister Rupel, took place on Friday, 3 March in the Ljubljana cultural and congress centre Cankarjev dom.

Source: Slovene Press Agency STA