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The Czech Republic announced its candidate for Secretary-General of the OECD, Vladimír Dlouhý

On Thursday, 3 September 2020, Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček introduced the country's candidate for Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Vladimír Dlouhý, at the Černín Palace. The candidate presented his vision and priorities for the functioning of the organisation to the representatives of the member states. The new Secretary-General will take charge of the organisation in June 2021.

In his speech, Petříček praised the importance of the OECD and emphasised the advantages of the Czech candidate. "The OECD was born out of the Marshall Plan, which played a significant role in the economic recovery from the destruction of World War II. Similarly, today we face the challenge of major economic recovery from the effects of the pandemic, and the OECD's experience is therefore needed more than ever. I firmly believe that Vladimír Dlouhý, with his knowledge and unique experience in the transformation of the Czech economy, is the true leader that the OECD needs in the coming difficult period," he said.

Dlouhý then presented his priorities for the position of Secretary-General and, in a discussion with the ambassadors of the member states, explained how he would like to contribute to the better functioning of the organisation. Dlouhý currently serves as the President of the Economic Chamber of the Czech Republic and as the Vice-President of the European Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry. In the past, he held the positions of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic and Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic.


The OECD is an international organisation of 37 developed economies and serves as a forum where individual governments can share experiences in implementing policies, seek solutions to common problems and coordinate domestic and foreign policy. It participates in the creation of international standards in economics, social policy and the environment. The Czech Republic joined the OECD on 21 December 1995 as the first country in the Central and Eastern Europe region. The successes of the Czech Republic's membership in the OECD include, for example, the Vice-Presidency of the Ministerial Council Meeting in 2005 and 2015 and the Presidency of the OECD Budget Committee between 2017 and 2020.

The official process of selecting the new Secretary-General of the OECD began on 1 September 2020 and will be completed in the spring of 2021.

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