The most important recent event in the relationship between the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Ukraine was the decision to conclude an agreement on the establishment of an official four-year OECD country program for Ukraine, Secretary-General of the Organization Mathias Cormann said at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London.

According to him, this program is designed to provide a structured approach to reform and institutional support for Ukraine across the spectrum of government policies in order to bring Ukraine closer to OECD standards and best practices, and to increase its participation in OECD political bodies.

According to him, this program reflects the priorities of Ukrainian reforms and is designed, in particular, to support efforts to attract quality private sector investment to support recovery.

As Cormann explained, it is necessary to ensure transparent, fair and effective regulatory, administrative and legal processes that will increase investor confidence. To this end, he clarified, the OECD promotes effective management of state-owned enterprises and improved administration of Ukraine's tax policy, provides support in the training of tax officials, judges and law enforcement officers at the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.

Our country program includes analysis and capacity building to support Ukraine's compliance with the OECD Anti-Corruption Convention, to which Ukraine recently became a party, the Secretary-General added.

According to him, Ukraine's anti-corruption action plan is currently being reviewed based on international standards and best practice guidelines, including in relation to corruption prevention and criminal liability.

We are focused on increasing competition and encouraging investment in the energy sector, Cormann also said.

He said that the OECD study on the electricity market in Ukraine would be launched next Friday, which would provide practical recommendations for long-term reforms for the post-war period to improve regulatory stability, improve the functioning of the wholesale and retail electricity trade, and accelerate integration into the EU markets.

Among other priorities, he named the launch of public-private partnerships and infrastructure concessions to increase investment and support the growth and recovery of small and medium-sized businesses in Ukraine through a special sector-focused policy review on aspects such as access to finance and procurement opportunities and the introduction of digital tools.