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Young Turkish Authors Visited the EU Institutions
Co-Chair of EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee Mr. Joost Lagendijk underlined that “In order for us to improve mutual understanding and build our common future, I wholeheartedly wish that all schools in Turkey and the EU draw inspiration from this very nice example of the EU Story Competition."
Ms. Emine Bozkurt, Member of European Parliament said: “Such projects always deserve our support as they bring in a new and important dimension to EU-Turkey relations.”
 Three young Turkish students, Harun Çakır,Kübra Atacan and Sümeyye Arslan, travelled to Brussels on 28-29 November to learn more about the European Union. They are the prize winners of the first “EU Story Writing Competition” held in Turkey.
Harun Çakır, from Bursa Malcılar High School, Kübra Atacan, from Gaziantep Fitnat Nuri Tekerekoğlu Anatolian High School, and Sümeyye Arslan from Denizli Private Servergazi Ufuk High School, met two Members of the European Parliament, Mr Joost Lagendijk (Co-Chair of EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee) and Ms Emine Bozkurt (Member of EU -Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee and Rapporteur on Turkey for the EP Committee on Women Rights and Gender Equality).
Mr. Joost Lagendijk said that ; "It has always been a pleasure for me to meet students of such young ages, full of enthusiasm about the European Union. Unfortunately it is not only in Turkey that students between the ages of 12 and 18 lack knowledge about the EU's historical background, objectives and institutions; it is also all too often experienced in the EU Member States . As adults they do not fully understand how important the EU is in their daily lives and for their future and therefore, approach the issue with suspicion and scepticism. In order for us to improve mutual understanding and build our common future, I wholeheartedly wish that all schools in Turkey and the EU draw inspiration from this very nice example of the EU Story Competition."
Ms. Emine Bozkurt, who received the students at her office in the Parliament, said, “It was a extremely pleasurable to meet the youngsters at the European Parliament. I was really impressed by the interest they showed in Europe. It is a highly encouraging development for both Turkey and the EU that the Turkish youth is so much interested in the EU. Such projects always deserve our support as they bring in a new and important dimension to EU-Turkey relations.”
The students also paid a visit to European Commission’s Directorate General for Enlargement and to the Permanent Representation of Turkey to the EU. The pupils also came together with young Europeans at the European Students Forum Brussels (AEGEE) to discuss EU-Turkey relations.
The competition was organised by the Information Centre Network of the Delegation of the European Commission to Turkey in cooperation with the Projects Coordination Centre of the Ministry of National Education. The competition asked pupils to write a story on the founding values of the EU such as peace, unity, equality, freedom, security and solidarity.
 In total, 22 stories from 9 provinces competed for the prize of a trip to Brussels at an award ceremony held on 6 th November in Ankara in the presence of the Minister of National Education, Mr. Hüseyin Çelik, and the Head of Delegation of the European Commission to Turkey, Mr. Marc Pierini. Addressing the award ceremony Ambassador Marc Pierini said; “I want to thank wholeheartedly the students who have taken part in this story writing competition: they have given us a different perspective, a human perspective on the relationship between Turkey and the EU. And their work, allow me to say, is as important as the work of the negotiators of Turkey’s accession to the EU”. 
During their visit to Brussels, the award winning students were accompanied by Mr. Hayrullah Akgün (teacher-high school director), Yalçın Eraslan (the representative of Ministry of National Education) and Mr. Dinçer Emir (Bursa EU Centre Coordinator).
To ensure coordination of information activities undertaken by the EU Information Centre Network, and to strengthen it country-wide, a contract was signed between the European Commission Delegation to Turkey and Gaziantep Chamber of Trade, and the “Project supporting EU Information Centres Network” has been put into implementation in 2007. In the framework of the Project, a story-competition on the EU was organised for the first time in the lead of the Project Coordination Unit established under Gaziantep Chamber of Trade.
For information:
Selda Paydak, Sector Manager for Press/Communication, EC Delegation to Turkey
Tel: 0 312 459 87 00
Figen Öğüt, Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce, Project Coordination Unit, Coordinator of EU Information Centres Network - Tel: 0 342 220 30 30
For related story competition news please click here.
For the awarded stories in French please click here. (FR)
For the awarded stories in Turkish please click here. (TR)
In order to see the related images please click here.
Last update: 26.1.2010
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