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This year’s OECD Ministerial Council Meeting will be held at OECD Headquarters on 3-4 May 2005 under the chairmanship of Göran Persson, Prime Minister of Sweden, with the overarching theme of “Enabling Globalisation”. We live in an interdependent world – and that’s a fact of life, not an option. Our challenge in facing the reality of globalisation in the international community is to enable all countries to reap its benefits while managing the inevitable adjustment process and its costs.

Ministers from OECD and other countries will discuss the following issues: 

• Implications of globalisation for the economic outlook
  This session will focus on export markets and market shares of OECD countries, energy and commodity prices, and current account imbalances and their financing.
  
  
• Investing in energy
  A joint meeting of the MCM and International Energy Agency Ministerial meeting will discuss how governments can improve the framework conditions to ensure timely investment in energy infrastructure that meets the tests of security of supply, economic efficiency, environmental sensitivity and affordability.
  
  
• Globalisation and structural adjustment
  Ministers will address how OECD countries are adapting to rapid economic growth and technological development in major developing countries. It will be based on the two key projects launched at MCM 2003 “Enhancing the performance of the service economy” and “Trade and structural adjustment”.
  
  
• Millennium Declaration and Monterrey Consensus
  This session will concentrate on the OECD’s contribution to the follow-up and implementation of the commitments in these international agreements.
  
  
• Trade negotiations under the Doha Round
  Building upon the framework agreed in Geneva in July 2004 and the momentum generated by that agreement, Ministers are likely to focus on how to advance the Doha Development Agenda, and on ensuring the success of the WTO Hong Kong Ministerial meeting.

Many important players from the emerging and developing economies have been invited to join the ministerial meeting. Indeed, discussions on the theme of “enabling globalisation” would not be meaningful without their presence. At the same time, how to respond to the challenges and opportunities of globalisation is an issue for the citizens of all our countries, not just for politicians. With this in mind, Ministers are encouraged to participate in the OECD Forum 2005 which takes place on 2-3 May 2005 in Paris. The Forum is a “civil society summit” which brings together leaders of governments, business, labour, civil society and the media to discuss and debate the issues on the Ministerial agenda.