'Every passing day, Turkish people will witness the improvement in their lives through the EU funded projects,' Dr. Holger Schröder, Head of Financial Cooperation, Coordination and Investment Section of the Delegation of the European Commission to Turkey, said Tuesday.

Dr. Schröder, speaking at a media briefing at the European Union Information Centre in Istanbul, assured that the EU funded projects aimed to support stable institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights; a functioning market economy as well as the adaptation and implementation of the EU legislation.

He also underlined the importance of developing the civil society dialogue between the EU and Turkey. 'The EU financial support to Turkey was 250 million Euros in 2004. This sum will increase to 654 million Euros in 2010,' said Schröder.

Underlining that the funding for projects aimed to minimise the economic and social disparity between different regions, Schröder stressed that the less developed areas were given priority for receiving the EU funding. 'This refers to regions where the GDP per capita is lower than 75 per cent of the average GDP of the country,' he explained.

Pointing out the vast range of beneficiaries, Schröder underlined that these included ministries and governmental institutions, municipalities, civil society groups, SMEs, unemployed and vulnerable groups, school children as well as farmers in less developed regions.

Schröder underlined that there were currently more than 200 ongoing projects in Turkey and gave various examples including the Active Labour Market Strategy Programme, Eradicating the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Turkey, the Izmit Handicapped Production Centre, Sanliurfa Drinking Water Project and the establishment of European-Turkish Business Development Centres.

Related Documents:

Presentation of Dr. Holger Schröder
List of ongoing EU Projects in Turkey
10 examples from EU Projects in Turkey
Info Note on EU Funding