Spanningen tussen EU en OESO over kwaliteit en inhoud OESO-rapporten gesust (en) - Main contents

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - A longstanding disagreement between the EU and the OECD about how the international economic organisation reports European Commission policies is slowly coming to a head.

Non-EU countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development are getting irritated by the fact that OECD reports may not include the impact of EU policies on agriculture, competition and trade.

When the OECD in February this year published an economic survey of Denmark the report for the first time included a disclaimer saying the examination of the country's economy may not be complete.

An evaluation of EU policies' effects on the economy was not included, the note said.

Since February five reports in total have been published including similar disclaimers. The latest appeared in the survey published about Italy's economy.

"This Economic Survey may not include an examination of certain policies that are relevant to the country but fall within the competence of the European Community", the note reads.

The disclaimer brought for the first time into the open a brewing conflict between the EU and non-EU members currently escalating at the OECD.

The disclaimers were only introduced after strong pressure from non-EU countries to manage a change of the EU Commission's policies.

"It's like going to the doctor for a health check, and being satisfied with a not complete search", one source said referring to not being allow to write about the policies.

Commission to table proposal

According to Commission sources, the EU is, however, about to move on the issue and could be ready to table a "positive" response to the problem within the next two to three weeks, after its current proposal has been examined by EU governments.

One idea is that the six EU countries not currently members of the OECD - Estoniam Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta -might become observers, one ambassador told the EUobserver.

The Commission would then allow for EU wide surveys to be produced in line with the euro zone examinations already produced by the OECD.

"But individual country reports would not change at all", the Commission official added.

Such a solution is, however, unlikely to garner support from non-EU members of the OECD - including the US, Australia and Japan.

"It's not fair to examine all policies in non-EU countries, but not all policies in EU countries. We think countries should be measured according to the same standards", one official at the OECD from a non-EU country told the EUobserver.

Based in Paris the OECD brings together 30 countries sharing a commitment to democratic government and market economies.

There are 19 EU countries in the OECD together with industrialised countries in the world.

The countries allow the OECD to compare, analyse and comment on their individual economies in regular reports. The surveys often include recommendations for political action to be taken by the organisation's member states.

In total, OECD members produce 60% of the world's goods and services.