EXPERT OPINION
OECD on Eurasia Week and the
Eurasia Business Forum
H.E. Ms. Annika Markovic,
Ambassador and
Permanent Representative
of Sweden to the OECD,
Chair of the OECD
Competitiveness
Roundtable and Co-chair
of the Eastern Europe and
South Caucasus Initiative
H.E. Mr. Rupert
Schlegelmilch,
Ambassador and
Permanent Representative
of the European Union to
the OECD, Chair of the
OECD Eurasia Advisory
Board and Co-chair of the
Central Asia Initiative
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world monitor
This year, OECD Eurasia Week will take
place in Almaty: could you tell us more
about this event? to share knowledge and experiences, as well
as peer support for those engaged in reform
implementation.
H.E. Rupert Schlegelmich (RS): Eurasia
Week is the annual ministerial-level meeting
of the OECD Eurasia Competitiveness
Programme (ECP), which encompasses
Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus,
Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the
Republic of Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. This
year, for the first time, it will be organised in a
Eurasia country, in Almaty, on 23-25 October. What else can you tell us about the
Business Forum? How can EUROBAK
members benefi t from it?
The Business Forum offers participants a
unique opportunity to hear the plans and
priorities of the governments in the region,
when it comes to competitiveness reforms.
This year, there is a special focus on
competition policies. The forum also includes a
two-and-a-half-hour speed networking session,
Eurasia Week brings together high-level
during which businesses can meet high-level
representatives of Eurasia countries and OECD policymakers from a number of different
member countries, as well as researchers,
Eurasian countries in rapid succession, as
business people, international organisations,
well as with other businesses active in the
and members of civil society. This week gives
region. In short: one place, one day, thirteen
participants a chance to discuss and test
countries. Last year, companies from ten
OECD standards and experiences, which should OECD countries held 136 bilateral meetings
result in “better policies for better lives”, as the with ministers, deputy- ministers and other
OECD likes to put it, in the Eurasia region.
senior officials from Eurasian countries.
Priority for the bilateral meetings is given to
The aim is to further strengthen relations
those who register first. Additional information
between Eurasia countries and the OECD and
on the bilateral meetings is provided upon
to raise the visibility of their co-operation on
registration for OECD Eurasia Week.
issues relevant to the region’s economic and
social progress.
What else is the OECD doing in
Kazakhstan?
H.E. Annika Markovic (AM): While the
programme varies from year to year, the
(RS): The OECD has worked with Kazakhstan
central events of each Eurasia Week include a since its independence, supporting efforts
ministerial-level discussion of the challenges
to transform its economy through structural
facing the region, the meeting of the OECD
reform and deeper global integration. While
Eurasia Competitiveness Roundtable, and the
this interaction was fairly limited in the 1990s,
OECD Eurasia Business Forum. Established
it has expanded considerably over the last
in 2013, the Roundtable, which I chair, is a
decade. During 2013-16, Kazakhstan was
policy dialogue platform that carries out peer
co-chair of the Central Asia Initiative of the
reviews of the design and implementation
OECD Eurasia Competitiveness Programme
of competitiveness reforms, allowing senior
and it is now a co-chair of the Green Action
officials from OECD and Eurasia countries
Programme, which addresses green growth