The Ministry for EU Affairs discussed EU Accession Process and Türkiye’s New EU Strategy with Non-Governmental Organizations in Adana

The Ministry for EU Affairs hosted a Civil Society Dialogue Meeting on “EU ACCESSION PROCESS AND TURKEY’S NEW EU STRATEGY” on 24 March 2015, at Sheraton Hotel in Adana, under the auspices of Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Ambassador Volkan Bozkır and with the participation of non-governmental organizations, local administrations, the business world and academia in Adana.

The first dialogue meeting with the understanding of “a stronger civil society and stronger Türkiye” was held on 26 November 2014 in İstanbul; the second on 19 February 2015 in İzmir, and the third was held on 18 March 2015 in Konya. More than 6,000 representatives from hundreds of NGOs participated in these meetings.

In the meeting which was held in Adana with the participation of more than 1,800 NGOs, NGO representatives, who contribute significantly to Türkiye’s transformation in the EU accession process, had the opportunity to express their opinions and recommendations in person to Minister Bozkır.

Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Ambassador Volkan Bozkır made the opening speech of the meeting and said: “EU accession process is not only a process which helps Türkiye reach EU’s legal and institutional standards but also a social transformation. This process can only be completed successfully with an active and powerful civil society. In 2002-2014 a fund of nearly 65 million Euros was provided to the 822 projects carried out in Adana. Adana is among the leading cities that benefit from EU projects and has a lot to say on Türkiye’s EU accession process. The great interest shown in our civil society dialogue meetings encourages us to continue making efforts decisively for the EU accession process.”

In the meeting, held with the high rate of participation from the NGOs in Çukurova, the participants were directly informed about Turkish- EU relations in the stands opened by the Ministry for EU Affairs, the Turkish National Agency and the Turkish Accreditation Agency (TURKAK).

Moreover, information was given about the Erasmus+ program as well as the assistance, funds and grant opportunities for the non-governmental organizations within the scope of Turkish- EU Financial Cooperation Program in the meeting.