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This publication aims to provide the first comprehensive and consistent record of energy subsidies in the EaP region, with a view to improving transparency and establishing a solid analytical basis that can help build the case for further reforms in these countries (this study covers Armenia, Azerbaijan Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine). Based on OECD standard methodology, the study provides quantitative estimates of government support provided to consumers and producers of coal, oil and related petroleum products, natural gas, and electricity and heat generated on the basis of these fossil fuels. This report also briefly looks at public support allocated to energy efficiency measures and renewable energy sources in the EaP countries, and discusses the taxation and energy pricing policies that underpin the analysis of energy subsidies. This publication was prepared within the framework of the 'Greening Economies in the Eastern Neighbourhood' (EaP GREEN) Project, supported by the European Union and co-ordinated with governments of the EaP countries and UN partners: UNECE, UN Environment and UNIDO.

The OECD Regulatory Policy Review of Slovenia assesses the regulatory management capacity of Slovenia. It takes stock of regulatory policies, institutions and tools; describes trends and recent developments; and identifies areas for improvement in the design, delivery and evaluation of regulations. The government of Slovenia has made great strides in regulatory policy, but challenges in implementation remain. This review provides policy recommendations based on best international practices and peer assessment to strengthen the government’s management and oversight of regulatory policy.

As 'market referees', regulators contribute to the delivery of essential public utilities. Their organisational culture, behaviour and governance are important factors in how regulators, and the sectors they oversee, perform. The OECD Performance Assessment Framework for Economic Regulators (PAFER) looks at the institutions, processes and practices that can create an organisational culture of performance and results. The report uses PAFER to assess elements linked to both the internal and external governance of Ireland's Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU). The review acknowledges the achievements and good practices put in place by the regulator since its creation. It also analyses the key drivers of CRU’s performance and proposes an integrated reform package to help the regulator prepare for the future.

Ce livre synthétise les travaux récents de l'OCDE analysant les politiques commerciales et quantifiant leurs impacts sur les importations et les exportations, la performance des secteurs manufacturiers et des services, et comment les restrictions au commerce des services influencent les décisions et les résultats des entreprises internationales. Basé sur l'indice de restrictivité des échanges de services (IRES) de l'OCDE - un outil sans équivalent fondé sur des preuves qui fournit des instantanés de la réglementation des services dans 22 secteurs dans 44 pays (représentant plus de 80% du commerce mondial des services) – l’analyse souligne l'ampleur, la nature et l'impact des coûts engendrés par les politiques commerciales restrictives sur les services. Les nouvelles preuves découvertes visent à informer les décideurs des politiques commerciales et le secteur privé sur les effets probables de réformes réglementaires unilatérales ou concertées et à aider à prioriser l'action politique.

In 2014 the OECD carried out work to take stock of OECD countries' achievements in building resilience to major natural and man-made disasters. The report suggested that albeit significant achievements were made through effective risk prevention and mitigation management, past disasters have revealed persistent vulnerabilities and gaps in risk prevention management across OECD. Based on the findings of this OECD-wide report a cross-country comparative study was undertaken in Austria, France and Switzerland to test the recommendations put forward in specific country contexts. This report summarises the individual and comparative country case study findings. It highlights that the risk prevention policy mix has shifted in favor of organisational measures such as hazard informed land use planning or strengthening the enforcement of risk sensitive regulations. In the meantime, the great need for maintaining the large stock of structural protection measures has been overlooked and vulnerability might increase because of that. The report highlights the need for better policy evaluation to increase the effectiveness of risk prevention measures in the future. The report highlights practices where countries succeeded to make risk prevention a responsibility of the whole of government and the whole of society, by analysing supporting governance and financing arrangements.

Under President Enrique Peña Nieto’s leadership, Mexico has put together the most ambitious reform package of any OECD country in recent times, forged the political consensus necessary to approve it through the unprecedented Pacto por México, promoted these and other reforms in Congress and has started implementing them. The battery of reforms has addressed challenges in policy areas that had been waiting for deep changes for decades, including education, labour, tax, health, telecommunication, and energy and justice, among many others. Mexico still faces important challenges which is why it is crucial for Mexico to continue its reform agenda. It is imperative to strengthen some of the recent reforms, and to keep updating and promoting them to ensure their effective implementation. The OECD stands ready to further accompany Mexico on this path.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by world leaders at the United Nations on 25 September 2015, sets out an ambitious action plan to improve the lives of people everywhere. On 14 February 2017, the Polish government adopted its Strategy for Responsible Development, which sets out over 700 actions to increase the income of Polish citizens and strengthen social, economic, environmental and territorial cohesion within the country. With its Strategy for Responsible Development, Poland has taken an important first step towards tackling all these issues. But achieving the SDGs will be a long journey with many hurdles, during which Poland will regularly have to adapt its strategies, actions plans and policy measures and refresh the commitment of all stakeholders. Exchanging experiences with other countries throughout the process on what works and what doesn’t can help the country successfully navigate this journey.