Sweden nominates Cecilia Malmström for the post of Secretary General OECD

Swedish Government nominates former EU Trade Chief Malmstrom for the Secretary General of OECD post. This is an excellent nomination. I know Cecilia Malmström and she is great candidate for this post. She is very competent, experienced, agile, creative and tough. A very strong contender from EU.

Sweden is nominating former European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom to be secretary general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The 52-year-old Swedish politician is seeking to replace Angel Gurria, who announced in July that he would not seek a fourth term as chief of the Paris-based OECD. The OECD’s 37 member states have already begun a process aimed at selecting a new secretary general for a five-year term beginning June 1 next year.

In an interview with Bloomberg News ahead of the announcement Tuesday, Malmstrom said she has the right mix of experience, contacts and a commitment to international cooperation to make her a successful leader of the OECD.

“I’ve had a lot of experience on the multilateral scene both when it comes to trade but also other areas when it comes to the core competencies of the OECD,” she said. “The OECD is a forum that can really show how important multilateral cooperation is.”

Malmstrom, who completed her term as EU trade commissioner in 2019, is known for her efforts to reach landmark trade agreements with Canada, Japan and the Mercosur trading bloc. She was also the European Commissioner for Home Affairs from 2010 to 2014 and previously served as a member in the European parliament.

Malmstrom said the OECD has an important role to play in helping nations recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. She also said she would seek to maintain the OECD’s current mission and support discussions related to carbon adjustment taxes and digital sales taxes.

“There is a momentum to make sure OECD continues to focus even more on sustainability, climate change, inclusive markets, and making the case for the good aspects of globalization because that is something that is being questioned more and more.”

Source: Bloomberg