Ciolacu: OECD accession, managed simultaneously with finalization of the PNRR, the toughest test
„As soon as I took office as Prime Minister, I announced that joining the OECD was the most important strategic objective for Romania’s development and modernization. Therefore, I believe that we must seize every opportunity, such as today, to explain to Romanians why this is worth a national effort. The OECD membership means greater investment, a better country rating, a level playing field for businesses, and a tax system in which resources will be used more efficiently. In short, it means a better-performing public administration. It will improve the life of every Romanian, through modern social services and new quality standards,” said Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu at the „Romania and OECD – The Main Country Project after NATO, EU, and Schengen” conference, held at the Cotroceni Palace.
He provided a concrete example from the education sector.
„Following an OECD recommendation, a major initiative has been launched to evaluate and strengthen Romania’s education system. The Ministry of Education and Research has moved forward with a modern solution. Teachers in Romania will now be evaluated annually via an online platform, analyzing student performance, peer feedback, and input from school principals, all managed digitally. These evaluations will directly affect teachers’ salaries. The goal is to link teachers’ pay to the performance of the education system, which is a unanimous expectation across society. This is just one example of the dozens of concrete advances we’ve made in the last year and a half. During this time, we’ve secured 12 formal endorsements from OECD Committees, nearly half of the total needed. We must maintain the same sustained pace this year to secure the remaining endorsements. It’s like running a marathon, where endurance is key,” the Prime Minister added.
He stated that „the truth is that accession to the OECD, managed simultaneously with the finalization of the PNRR, represents the toughest, most complex, and sophisticated administrative examination Romania has undergone since its European integration.”
„We have had to learn to work in a practical manner, in large teams, and in an inter-ministerial format, across the 26 areas of activity where we are being assessed based on our own efforts, in order to meet the targeted standards. But if we calculate the effort versus the benefits, the rewards are enormous. According to forecasts from the National Bank of Romania, as well as the private sector, joining this select club will unlock significant opportunities for the Romanian economy. In 2000, Romania’s GDP per capita at purchasing power parity was around 25% of the EU average, and today this indicator is approaching 80%. This means that Romania has closed the gap by more than two percentage points each year on average. Labor productivity growth — the fastest in Central and Eastern Europe — has also played a key role in this convergence process! This growth has been significantly supported by a solid and steady increase in foreign direct investment, driven by Romania’s EU membership,” said Prime Minister Ciolacu.
According to Marcel Ciolacu, Romania has a „Country Project, and it is called joining the OECD.”
„It is Romania’s clearest message that it wants to join the ranks of developed countries. The scale of this achievement, in economic terms, is overwhelming: the moment we join the OECD, in the first fiscal year, Romania’s GDP could increase by almost 7 percentage points! This would mean that by 2030, we have a real chance of reaching the European average for a highly relevant indicator, GDP per capita at purchasing power parity. This will provide Romania with much cheaper access to finance and capital, as well as a significant leap in the ranking of investment destinations. Moreover, we will have a seat at the table where major fiscal and economic policies with global impact are decided. Euro-Atlantic integration, through NATO and the European Union, has opened a historic opportunity for our nation. Accession to the OECD, coupled with full integration into Schengen and the finalization of the NRRP, represents a critical moment for the development of modern Romania. However, this requires us to carry out substantial reforms, access 100% of the available European funds, and accelerate the processes of economic convergence,” the Prime Minister said.
He added that Romanians have become accustomed to making major progress when society aligns behind a national ideal.
„When the political class, private sector, and civil society professionals succeed in formulating a strategic objective at the political, social, and economic level, and then follow through with its implementation via effective and constant public pressure on all the institutions involved in this process. I believe that joining the OECD is such a crucial moment for Romania’s future. It is a historic opportunity to regain our social cohesion and national solidarity, and to fulfill an ambitious destiny, one that Romania fully deserves: that of becoming a European economic power,” Ciolacu concluded.