Bulgaria has received a key approval in its bid to join the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), after the relevant working group on combating bribery of foreign public officials endorsed the country's progress. The decision marks another step forward in the accession process, following a detailed review of Bulgaria's legal and institutional framework.
The OECD body concluded that Bulgaria has met the main requirements linked to anti-corruption standards, particularly those stemming from the Convention on Combating Bribery in international business. The assessment, finalized during a plenary session in Paris attended by Deputy Justice Minister Andrey Georgiev, confirmed that the country has sufficiently addressed the core recommendations set during the accession procedure.
Despite the positive outcome, two outstanding issues remain under ongoing monitoring. One concerns the need to enable the use of legal mechanisms to hold companies accountable in independent proceedings for crimes committed by their representatives. The other relates to reconsidering the current legal restriction that prevents criminal investigations from being launched based on anonymous reports.
According to the Ministry of Justice, the OECD working group gave high marks to Bulgaria's recent legislative efforts. These include reforms in criminal law related to bribery, clearer rules on corporate liability, measures targeting accounting fraud, and improved protection for whistleblowers reporting corruption.
