Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 125: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the guiding principles of the ongoing discussion between the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and third nations as part of the enhanced engagement programme; and if he favours a change on any of these. [7145/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The OECD agreed in 2007 to launch programmes of 'Enhanced Engagement', with a view to possible membership, with Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and South Africa (EE5), and to expand the OECD's relations with regions of strategic interest, starting with Southeast Asia.

Enhanced Engagement was a unilateral initiative by the OECD with no pre-determined path. The starting position was that Enhanced Engagement would entail "strengthened co-operation" going beyond the country programmes that had hitherto existed with Brazil, China and India, with significantly increased participation in the work of the substantive bodies of the Organisation.

Enhanced Engagement aims to serve the mutual interests of OECD Members and the EE5. For the EE5, Enhanced Engagement supports their reform and development process by making available knowledge of OECD policies, guidelines and instruments that have served existing Members' development processes. Enhanced Engagement also offers the five partners the opportunity to influence international policy development on issues such as trade and investment, corporate governance, employment, social protection, and taxation, while extending the scope and relevance of existing instruments.

Considerable progress has been made since 2007 and the EE5 are increasingly involved in specific elements of the Organisation's work along five main strands: (a) engagement in Committees and horizontal projects, (b) inclusion of EE5 data into the OECD statistical databases, (c) participation in OECD Economic Surveys and other peer review series, (d) reaching common understandings on policy principles, including adherence to OECD instruments and participation in the development of new ones, and (e) temporary assignments of EE5 experts in the OECD Secretariat. Substantial country-specific work programmes have also been developed.

Ireland fully supports the Enhanced Engagement process and sees no need for a change in the way it is proceeding.