Hungary Opposes Croatia’s Membership in OECD

Hungary will not support Croatia’s request for membership in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) due to its relations with MOL and its CEO Zsolt Hernadi, the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday.

In a statement reported by the Hungarian agency MTI, the ministry stated that the situation regarding MOL’s investments in Croatia and the treatment of MOL’s CEO Zsolt Hernadi by Croatia are the main reasons for withdrawing support.

>>>Hernadi sued Croatia for human rights violations, freedom of movement

Croatia initiated proceedings against Hernadi along with former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, accusing him of bribing Sanader with 10 million euros during the sale of INA shares.

Hungary will also not support Romania’s request for membership in the OECD due to the closure of a Catholic high school predominantly attended by Hungarian children in Targu Mures, the ministry stated.

The ministry says that Hungary has announced it will not support Zagreb and Bucharest at the OECD Council meeting on Friday in Paris.

Slovenia also announced a few days ago that it would not support Croatia’s membership in the OECD, claiming that it does not respect international law as it refuses to implement the arbitration ruling on the Croatia-Slovenia border because Slovenia compromised the arbitration process.

>>>Slovenia announced a blockade of Croatia’s entry into the OECD

This was also communicated to the ambassadors of EU member states at a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, where the European Commission informed member states about the current status regarding the future expansion of the OECD under any other business.

The Secretary-General of the organization based in Paris, Jose Angel Gurria, was scheduled to present his proposal for future expansion on Friday.

Romania, Bulgaria, and Croatia are reflecting on joining the OECD from EU member states that are not yet included in the organization, while Argentina, Brazil, and Peru have support for membership from countries outside Europe.

The OECD currently has 35 member states, the most economically developed countries in the world. Croatia sent a letter of intent to the OECD at the beginning of the year to join the organization, wishing to start negotiations after a decision in the new round of its expansion.