Croatia is joining the OECD's anti-bribery task force, the Ministry of Justice reported ton Thursday, stating that this is an important step forward in the process of Croatia's accession to the OECD, which began in June 2022.

Croatia’s request for accession to the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions and membership in the task force was accepted on Thursday at a meeting in Paris.

“The decision of the OECD task force against bribery is an important step in our accession to the OECD and recognition of the efforts we have made in this process. Joining the OECD is the most important foreign policy goal of our government, and the decision to join the convention and the task force is a sign that we on the right track,” said Minister Ivan Malenica.

The Ministry of Justice and Administration states in a press release that it has started amendments to the Penal Code and the Law on Liability of Legal Entities for Criminal Offenses, and the Ministry of Finance to amendments to the Law on Profit Tax, which brought the Croatian legislative framework into line with the provisions of the Convention on Combating Foreign Bribery public officials in international business transactions.

This convention entered into force in February 1999 and has 45 parties – in addition to the 38 OECD member states, there are also Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Peru, the Russian Federation, Romania and South Africa.

The Convention is the first and only international treaty that specifically targets transnational bribery in the field of business. As a legally binding international instrument, its parties agree to establish bribery of foreign public officials as a criminal offense and to investigate, prosecute and sanction it