Meeting with OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann

The Prime Minister welcomed Secretary-General Cormann in his home country. Cormann was born in Eupen and emigrated at the age of 26 to Australia, where he was Minister of Finance.

Alexander De Croo: "It is a pleasure to welcome the new OECD Secretary-General to his country of birth. The OECD champions the benefits of open economies. The creation of a level economic playing field, fair and better international tax rules, climate change: these are all important challenges that no country can face alone, but which we must tackle together with other countries in multilateral forums such as the OECD."

The Prime Minister and the Secretary-General discussed a number of important reforms in which the OECD plays a key role, such as the reform of international tax rules that aims at an international minimum tax. The OECD brings together policy-makers from like-minded countries and provides a forum for discussion and exchange of good practices.

As a small, open economy, Belgium attaches great importance to the OECD's policy advice. The OECD discusses, among other things, important economic reforms in the area of productivity growth, open markets and the digital economy. The organisation also plays an important role in creating a level playing field for businesses and works on the transition to a more sustainable economy.