The process of Croatia's accession to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is going on faster than expected, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlic-Radman said on Wednesday.

The process is going faster than planned and faster than expected, the minister said after a meeting of the OECD Council in Paris, where the organisation has its headquarters.

According to the minister, Croatia is making faster progress on this journey than the other five aspirants: Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Peru and Romania.

Croatia has answered the questionnaires of 25 committees of the OECD before the deadline.

It is important for us to adopt laws, policies and practices in line with OECD standards to the benefit of Croatian citizens, the minister said, adding that Croatia’s legislation, adjusted to the EU acquis, is already partly in accordance with the OECD.

Of the 27 EU member states, 22 are part of the OECD and five — Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Malta and Cyprus — are not members of that organisation.

In addition to those 22 members, Switzerland, Iceland, the USA, Australia, the UK, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Turkey, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Costa Rica are also members.

The OECD was established in 1961. The OECD Council is the organisation’s decision-making body. It is composed of ambassadors from member countries and the European Commission, and is chaired by the Secretary-General. It meets regularly to discuss key work of the Organisation, share concerns and take decisions by consensus.