EU-Turkey Civil Society Dialogue

"There are wide differences in the mutual perceptions between Turkey and the EU in the context of the accession negotiations.
The EU and Turkey need to understand each other better. This is why the EU calls upon civil society organisations in the EU and Turkey to help build this understanding through dialogue and increasing mutual ties."

Head of the Delegation of the European Commission toTurkey
Marc Pierini,
Ankara, 24 January, 2007  

Over decades Turkey and the EU have already established numerous contacts at political, economic, professional, cultural and educational level. The Civil Society Dialogue makes Turkey better known within the EU, and allows Turkish citizens to understand more about the EU, its values and policies.

At the same time, the dialogue assists citizens in being more involved in political, cultural and economic development – thus boosting the emergence of a vigorous civil society in countries that accede to the EU.

Civil Society Dialogue 2007/2008

The European Union provides €21.5 million to promote Civil Society Dialogue in Turkey (as part of the 2006 pre-accession assistance). Following a public call for proposals launched in 2007, some 500 project proposals were submitted for funding and are currently being evaluated by the Turkish Secretariat General for European Union Affairs under the following grant schemes:

• Youth Initiatives for Dialogue (€2 million)
  Projects aim at fostering the establishment of mutually beneficial and sustainable relationships between youth organizations in Turkey, the EU member states, and other candidate countries.
• Towns and Municipalities Grant Scheme (€5 million)
  The grant scheme supports the establishment and strengthening of long-term sustainable cooperation and promotion of dialogue between the municipalities in Turkey and EU Member States as well as candidate countries.
• Professional Organisations Grant Scheme (€3 million)
  The objective of this grant scheme is to promote dialogue, long-term relationships, and sustainable cooperation between professional organisations in Turkey and in the EU member states, including other candidate countries.
• Universities Grant Scheme (€9.3 million)
  Projects under this scheme support the establishment of long-term cooperation and partnerships between universities, think tanks, and research institutes in Turkey and the EU member states as well as other candidate countries.
• Cultural Bridges Programme
  Culture and the development of intercultural exchanges play a crucial role within the Civil Society Dialogue. For many years, amongst other things, the EU member states’ cultural offices/institutes and their Turkish partners have been building bridges on a bilateral basis.
  €6.6 Mio are dedicated to the "Cultural Bridges Programme" by providing direct grants to a certain number of cultural institutes of EU member states with the aim of establishing a permanent dialogue and partnerships between cultural actors in Turkey and the EU.
  Activities under these projects are expected to start in the second half of 2008.
• Jean Monnet Scholarship
  The objective of the Jean Monnet Scholarship Programme is to support Turkey’s need for qualified human resources on EU legislation in the process of EU accession. Scholarships are awarded for topics covering all areas of the ‘’acquis communautaire’’ including for example free movement of goods, agriculture and rural development, energy as well as justice and fundamental rights.
  For the academic year of 2007-2008, a total of 105 scholars have been sent to the EU member states to conduct studies/research. With €3.35 million earmarked from EU funds, around 85 new students will benefit from the scholarships for the academic year 2008-2009. The breakdown of the scholarship funds is as follows: public sector 60%, university 25% and private sector 15%.
  Since 1989, approximately €20 million have been spent under the Jean Monnet Scholarship Programme, enabling more than 900 new graduates, civil servants as well as private sector employees to study and conduct research in the EU.

For information on Civil Society Dialogue before 2007, please click here.

Further to the EU funded activities, projects contributing to Civil Society Dialogue are also carried out on a bilateral basis between EU Member States and Turkey.