There are no obstacles to Croatia's accession to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) because the membership criteria are the same as those for the European Union, including the fight against corruption and fiscal stability, Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic-Radman said in Paris on Tuesday.

Grlic-Radman is in Paris on Tuesday and Wednesday to attend the OECD Forum and events marking the 60th anniversary since the establishment of this organization.

“I wouldn’t say there are obstacles. What matters the most is the requirements – are you a stable country that successfully fights against corruption, guarantees legal security for investment and has consolidated fiscal stability?” Grlic-Radman said in response to questions from the press about possible obstacles to Croatia’s joining the OECD.

He said that the OECD accession criteria are the same as those Croatia had negotiated during the EU accession process and that now it was joining the committees and legal instruments that are required for membership. He recalled that Croatia had adopted the national development strategy until 2030 and the national recovery and resilience plan as proof that it wants to become a member of this important organization.

“Recently, we acceded to the OECD Guidelines and we are also a member of the OECD Working Party on Responsible Business Conduct,” Grlic-Radman said, stressing that Croatia was doing all it could to achieve its goal.

This globalized world, which is integrating economically, “requires closer cooperation with international organizations such as the World Trade Organization, the International Labour Organization, all UN agencies and the OECD itself,” he said.

Serbia’s behaviour is disgraceful

Commenting on the news that in one of its textbooks Serbia denies the very existence of the Croatian language, Grlic-Radman said that “this is indeed a disgraceful behaviour of the Serbian authorities.” He said that it was incomprehensible that an EU membership candidate should behave like this, violating the 2004 international agreement on the rights and protection of ethnic minorities, which Croatia fully honours.

“This is a lack of respect for the Croatian community in Vojvodina, which is strong, rich and, historically, native to Vojvodina. This is not only refusal to recognise the Croatian language but also forging history,” Grlic-Radman said, noting that in Serbia “there are also references to Serbian Dubrovnik and Serbian Dalmatia”.

“That is outrageous and we simply cannot understand it,” the Croatian foreign minister said.