Bulgaria's top foreign policy goal is still to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, foreign minister Velislava Petrova told the parliamentary subcommittee backing the accession process.

Bulgaria has finished reviews in 19 of the OECD's 25 working groups. Three bills still need to go to parliament, with changes based on recommendations from three committees - on corporate governance, public governance and environmental policy.

The foreign ministry is coordinating work on the bills. After OECD Secretariat officials visited in July, each of the remaining bills now has an action plan setting deadlines for drafting the texts, sending them to the OECD and holding public consultations.

Public consultation on changes to the Public Enterprises Act is already finished, and the text is now waiting for cabinet approval before it goes to parliament in early October. The justice ministry has drafted the text for the Judicial System Act too, and an inter-agency working group still has to review it. Petrova said the goal is to deal with as many comments as possible at that stage, so the public consultation can go quickly.

The third bill amends the Waste Management Act. It went to the European Commission on 28 September for technical notification, a process that takes three months. Once Brussels replies, the bill will go to the cabinet, then to parliament.

Bulgaria has met all its commitments to the OECD's Investment Committee, though that process is not formally closed yet. The OECD Secretariat still has to open a written procedure, which includes an informal opinion.

The OECD's legal standards are a "gold standard" that will make Bulgaria more attractive to investors, Petrova said. Membership will put Bulgaria among countries with institutions and laws that work and give investors confidence, she said, adding that OECD rules and procedures have paid off in other countries too.

Bulgaria is already feeling the effect, the minister said, because it can now tell potential investors it is in the final stage of joining. She hopes membership becomes a reality as soon as possible. The government drafts the bills, but passing them is up to parliament, and Petrova said she is confident lawmakers will make them a priority.

Subcommittee chairman Alexander Ivanov said parliament backs the process and is ready to speed up work on the remaining bills. He called joining the OECD a strategic priority for Bulgaria.