ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION
AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD) |
| OECD
and International Economy: Historical Overview |
The Organization
for European Economic Co-operation was
formed after World War II, with the principal aim to administer the
Marshall Plan for the reconstruction of Europe. OECD
took over from the
OEEC, when 20 countries signed
the convention of
its establishment, in 14th December 1960. Today, 30 countries
are members of OECD. Membership requires a country´s commitment to a market economy and
a pluralistic democracy. In terms of economic development level, the
OECD members are considered to be the most advanced countries for the
world economy, since they produce two thirds of the world´s goods
and services. Greece is
one of the 20 countries
that first signed the
convention of OECD´s
establishment. The
Ministry of National Economy and Economics is mainly responsible for
our country´s policy in OECD. OECD member
countries are (within
parenthesis: the year of accession): Austria (1961), Belgium (1961), Greece (1961), Denmark (1961), Canada (1961), Finland (1961), France (1961), Germany (1961), Norway (1961), The Netherlands (1961), Hungary (1996), Ireland (1961), Iceland (1961), Luxembourg (1961), Sweden (1961), Switzerland (1961), United Kingdom (1961), USA (1961), Italy (1962), Japan (1964), Australia (1971), Mexico (1994), Czech Republic (1995), Korea (1996), New Zealand (1973), Poland (1996), Portugal (1961), Slovak Republic (2000). Furthermore OECD collaborates with 70 non member countries
as well as with other international organizations. OECD main activities involve research, analyses and publications covering a wide area of policies and subjects. Moreover OECD is recognized as, perhaps, the world´ s most, valid and reliable source of information and statistical documentation. Consequently its publications are often used for the development,
implementation and evaluation of various policies. OECD publications provide a widely respected framework
on the basis of which international negotiations take place and, therefore, they
are very influential at a world wide level, and for a significant length
of time. The importance of our country membership in OECD, and
the opportunity to contribute to projects that affect long-term and
large-scale policies, is evident. |
| OECD Bodies and Functional
Procedures |
Each member country has one representative in the OECD Ministerial Council (plus one European Commission representative). The Council
meets once yearly, in order to set priorities and discuss important
and emerging issues.
Committees.
OECD has been evolved into a multidisciplinary organization. A large number of Committees are dedicated to key issues and employ significant decision
making power within, of course, the strategic goals outlined by the
Council. Within
committees, representatives of the member countries exchange views and
set priorities.
The Secretariat: It
employs the permanent staff of OECD,
and provides support
to committees, while it serves as a link among committees and working
groups. It
is managed by the General Director, the Vice-Directors, as well as the
Directors responsible for each subject area.
Working Groups. Delegates and expert groups review and contribute to the work of the Secretariat using as main criteria: the achievement of the initial objectives, the methodological and technical validity and reliability of the studies, as well as the practicality and possibility of implementing the results of each study in real problem solving situations. Following this evaluation, OECD studies are either published, or, reviewed by the Secretariat following the delegates’ proposals for improvement. |
| Agricultural Sector and OECD |
The Committee
of Agriculture is
responsible for work relevant to the Agricultural Sector’s main issues
– existent and emerging. Also, the Committee holds meetings at
ministerial level, where issues relevant to other sectors are also discussed
and assessed. Working Groups
and meetings that take place under the Committee of Agriculture are:
ó
Agricultural Policies and Markets Working Group (APM)
ó
Joint Working Group for Agriculture and Trade
ó
Joint Working Group for Agriculture and Environment
ó
Cereals, Animal feed and Sugar group
ó
Meat and Milk products group
ó
Meetings for Implementation of International Standards
in Fruit and Vegetables
ó
Yearly meeting regarding the Certification of Seeds
in International Trade Very relevant is also the collaboration program for
the biological sources management and sustainable agriculture, as well
as activities and work undertaken by the Fisheries Committee. In accordance with the general objectives of the Greek Ministry for Rural Development & Food, experts of the Agricultural Policy and Documentation Directorate participate actively in Committees and Working Groups of OECD,
related to the role and responsibilities of the Directorate, namely:
international relations and policies. To fulfill this role, the Directorate’s experts participate in an international network consisted of members of other countries delegations. Within this framework, they collaborate with other delegates and share experiences, aiming at the continuous improvement in planning, implementation and final evaluation of policy strategies related to the sustainable development of the Agricultural and Food Sectors in Greece. |
Contact: Dr.
V. Karathanassi |
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