Foreign Minister Mondino and the Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Mathias Cormann, currently on an official visit to Argentina, presided over a working lunch at Palacio San Martín, which was attended by a number of Governors, with a view to federalizing information on the OECD accession process.
Among those present were the Governors of the Provinces of Chaco, Leandro Zdero; Entre Ríos, Rogelio Frigerio; Chubut, Ignacio Torres; San Luis, Claudio Poggi; Santa Fe, Maximiliano Pullaro; Santiago del Estero, Gerardo Zamora; and Jujuy, Carlos Sadir, as well as the Deputy Governors of Córdoba, Myriam Prunotto, and Catamarca, Rubén Roberto Dusso.
This was followed by a joint press conference, during which Foreign Minister Mondino thanked Cormann for his visit and stated that “accession to the OECD is one of Argentina’s priority objectives.” In addition, she stressed that “Argentina is truly committed to adopting clear, consistent, sustainable and open-economy rules.” In this regard, the Foreign Minister stated that: “We want to strengthen Argentina’s integration with the world, and accession is an instrument to deepen the political, economic and cultural reforms necessary to achieve this goal, as it leads us to qualitative change and enables us to walk the path that many successful countries have already followed, as well as to take their good practices as an example.”
Furthermore, Mondino pointed out that Mathias Cormann “has held several meetings along with his team, and I believe he is convinced of the commitment of both the National Government and the provinces. He has met with the labour sector, the CGT (General Confederation of Labour), the business sector, and even with academics and a think tank.”
Cormann for his part said that “Argentina is an exceptional country, with great potential” and that it has faced “significant challenges” over the last decades. “We believe the OECD accession process can support Argentina’s efforts to create a more stable and prosperous economy in the medium and long term, and to foster a better income situation for the Argentine people”, he added.
Moreover, the OECD Secretary-General said that “we have seen a true sense of commitment and determination in all the meetings we have held over the past few days.”
Cormann also explained that the Argentine Government informed him that, by the end of the year, the country will be ready to submit to the OECD the Initial Memorandum, which consists of Argentina’s self-assessment regarding the alignment of its legislation, policies and practices with OECD standards and best practices. “After that, the in-depth technical review process will begin, involving 26 OECD committees”, he added.
“It is going to be a marathon, not a sprint. In order to succeed, it will be extremely important to have broad political support for Argentina’s aspiration to become a member of the OECD”, he concluded.
The working lunch was attended by the Foreign Minister; the OECD Secretary-General; the aforementioned governors and deputy governors; the Secretary for Finance, Pablo Quirno; the Secretary for International Economic Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Marcelo Cima; and Argentina’s Ambassador to France, Ian Sielecki, among others.
Secretary-General Cormann’s visit, organized and coordinated by the Foreign Ministry, is the first formal act launching the interaction process between the OECD and Argentina on the path of the country’s accession to the Organization.
Within the Federal Council on Foreign Relations and International Trade, the creation of an “OECD Special Commission” is underway, with a view to keeping the Provinces informed on the progress made in the accession process.
Yesterday, Mondino led a meeting of the “Inter-ministerial Coordination Committee” on the OECD accession process, which was attended by Secretary-General Cormann and his delegation. During the meeting, the participants exchanged ideas and the Argentine delegation expressed Argentina’s commitment to politically promoting the necessary actions and carrying out the work required to move forward with the accession process.
In addition, Secretary-General Cormann held meetings with the Argentine Vice-President and President of the Argentine Senate, Victoria Villarruel; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Martín Menem; members of the OECD Parliamentary Friendship Group; and business and union representatives.
On 11 December 2023, Argentine President Javier Milei sent a message accepting the invitation to join the organization, which constituted Argentina’s first step towards becoming a full member of the OECD. Then, on 2 May, Secretary-General Cormann delivered the Accession Roadmap to Foreign Minister Mondino at the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting in Paris.
