Relations between the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) were officially established in 1962 and the first Parliamentary Assembly debate on the activities of the OECD took place in 1963 on the basis of the report transmitted by the OECD to the Council of Europe.
The enlarged Parliamentary Assembly debates were introduced in 1993, on the basis of special rules, to allow delegations of national parliaments of OECD member States which are not members of the Council of Europe and of the European Parliament to participate. Since then, the enlarged Assembly has operated as a unique platform for parliamentary scrutiny of the OECD activities.
A new methodology for enlarged debates was agreed upon in January 2019 with the aim to achieve a stronger and more efficient institutional relationship between the Assembly and the OECD. It foresees the holding of such debates every two years on the basis of a report presented by the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy focusing on specific themes.
The last enlarged Assembly debate dates from January 2024 and focused on “Globalisation in times of crisis and war: the role of the OECD since the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine” (Resolution 2526 (2024)). A new report should be prepared for the next enlarged Assembly to be held in due time as provided by the agreement between the Assembly and the OECD and should focus on the most topical issues of common interest, to be agreed upon between our Assembly and the OECD.