Romania is making significant progress in the process of acceding to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and economic prospects indicate strong long-term growth comparable to the levels of the organisation's member states, said Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, on Monday.

'It is a pleasure for me to return to Bucharest to present the 2026 Economic Survey on Romania and to note the excellent progress Romania has made in the OECD accession process. Our economic report recognises a strong growth projection for Romania, in line with the levels of OECD countries, over the course of two decades. It also issues a number of recommendations for Romania to improve this process of sustainable growth for the future during the accession process,' Cormann said at the Victoria Palace, where the latest OECD Economic Survey of Romania was launched.

According to him, efforts must continue to ensure fiscal sustainability and to improve the efficiency of public spending throughout the state budget process.

'I would like to congratulate the Government for the efforts made so far. There are issues we have also highlighted in our report, efforts that still need to be made. We have also identified opportunities to address the fiscal impact of an ageing population by improving labour market participation among young people, women and older persons,' the OECD official added.

The OECD also recommends improving Romania's competitiveness by reducing the administrative burden, enhancing digitalisation and innovation, and strengthening resilience to climate change through the implementation of the national climate change strategy.

'I had the opportunity to meet President Nicusor Dan, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and members of the Government to discuss the final stages of Romania's accession process to the OECD. We also signed an agreement on OECD privileges in Romania, in line with the privileges that other member states grant the organisation to ensure its proper functioning. In all our technical committees, the assessment process has been completed, and significant progress has been recorded particularly over the past six months in areas such as legislation, anti-corruption, and fiscal and economic matters. Our team has especially appreciated the enthusiasm and commitment shown by Romania's leaders and political actors in supporting the OECD accession process,' Cormann added.

According to him, in the area of integrity Romania has introduced a unified legal framework for preventing conflicts of interest in the public sector.

He also highlighted that several measures have been taken to improve the pension system and the Financial Supervisory Authority.

'We also value and have benefited from the policy perspectives that Romania has shared with us. It is a key priority for me as Secretary-General to expand the number of members of our organisation, to improve our standards and efficiency, and to share useful lessons learned with our new members. We fully appreciate Romania's continued support for the OECD in improving global trade relations in Asian regions and Africa, as well as in our partnership with Ukraine,' the OECD official said.

According to the report published on Monday by the OECD, Romania's public finances have deteriorated significantly, posing risks to the long-term sustainability of public finances. To avoid this, the organisation says that the efficiency of public spending must be increased, while the tax base should be broadened and tax compliance improved.

On the other hand, the OECD believes that the recent pension reform - particularly the increase in the retirement age for women, the limitation of special pensions and the introduction of new indexation rules - is a positive step towards improving the sustainability of the pension system and encouraging labour force participation. At the same time, Romania is facing growing pressure to increase spending on healthcare, education, social assistance and innovation in order to support inclusive growth. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Nicoleta Banciulea; EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)