On 24th May, the Delegation of the European Commission to Turkey organised a special visit to the EU funded project entitled “Bizimköy Production Centre for the Disabled” in Izmit with the participation of a group of journalists. The visiting committee was headed by Dr. Holger Schroeder, Counsellor and Head of Section on Financial Cooperation, Coordination and Investment of the EC Delegation to Turkey.

During the visit, Dr. Schroeder met with the project beneficiaries and officials including Izmit Governor Gokhan Sozer and the Chairman of Izmit Chamber of Industry, Mr. Yilmaz Kanbak, as well as the members of the Project Committee. Following a tour of the Centre, Dr. Schroeder held a joint press conference with the officials.

The aim of the Bizimkoy Production Centre for the Disabled is to ensure the participation of disabled people to the production process so that they can make their own living and contribute to the economy. As part of the project, up to 230 handicapped will be employed in various areas such as food-processing, textile and vegetable production.

European Commission contribution to the project is €1.3 million, which was used for the construction of facilities and landscaping works. The costs of equipping / furnishing of the centre as well as the operating capital until the end of 2007 have been met by other sources (mainly ISKUR and Izmit Chamber of Industry).

Bizimköy Production Centre for the Disabled is one of the projects under the Marmara Earthquake Rehabilitation Programme (MERP), developed in the aftermath of the earthquakes which hit Marmara region on 17 August 1999. EU contribution to MERP is €20.0 Million and the Programme has an overall budget of €28.0 Million including the co-financing of the Turkish Government and the relevant municipalities.

MERP started in 2002 as an integral part of the Turkish Government’s framework programme for reducing the social effects of the earthquake and reconstructing as well as repairing the damaged capacities at all levels. The overall objective of MERP is to help restore the living conditions in the region affected by the earthquake, support economic recovery and growth and to develop an institutional framework for disaster risk management and mitigation.

For more information:
Please contact Arif Karbak, Sector Manager for Infrastructure and Research, EC Delegation to Turkey, at (+90 312) 4598700 or Arif.Karbak@ec.europa.eu