Bulgaria must pass three more laws before it can finish joining the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, foreign minister Velislava Petrova told a parliamentary subcommittee hearing tracking the process.
Membership is still one of Bulgaria's main foreign policy goals. Reviews of its bid have already wrapped up in 19 of the OECD's 25 working groups. The remaining changes come from recommendations made by three committees covering corporate governance, public administration and environmental policy.
Parliament is still waiting to receive changes to the law on public enterprises, the law on the judiciary and the law on waste management. The foreign ministry is coordinating work on all three.
The bill on public enterprises has already been through public consultation and is now waiting for cabinet approval. It should reach parliament in early October.
The justice ministry has drafted the bill on the judiciary, which now goes to an inter-agency working group for discussion. Petrova said the goal is to take on board as many comments as possible at that stage, so public consultation afterward can move quickly.
On September 28, the changes to the waste management law were sent to the European Commission for technical notification, a step that takes three months. Once Brussels responds, the draft goes to the cabinet, then to parliament.
The process at the OECD's Investment Committee is not formally closed yet, but Bulgaria has met its commitments, the minister said. The OECD secretariat is next expected to open a written procedure with an informal opinion.
Petrova said membership will put Bulgaria among countries with working institutions and laws that give investors confidence. She called the organisation's legal standards the "gold standard" that makes Bulgaria more attractive for investment.
The effect is already showing, she added, because investors can now be told the country is in the final stage of joining. She said the OECD's mechanisms and procedures have proven their worth in other countries and said she hopes membership comes as soon as possible.
The government is drafting the bills, but parliament has the final say on passing them, Petrova said. She added she is confident lawmakers will give them priority. Alexander Ivanov, who chairs the subcommittee, promised to help push the laws through faster and said parliament is ready and willing to back the accession process.
Officials from the OECD secretariat visited Bulgaria in July. After the visit, an action plan was drawn up for the remaining bills, setting deadlines for drafting them, sending them to the organisation and putting them out for public consultation. The minister said the work is on track with that schedule.