The European Union is promoting a dialogue between parliamentarians and political parties of Turkey and the Member States. On 28 May, Mr. Cemil Çiçek, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and Mr. Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, will host the opening ceremony of the “Civil Society Facility – Parliamentary Exchange and Dialogue” project in Ankara, with the participation of Mr. Egemen Bağış, Minister of EU Affairs and Chief negotiator and of Mr. Jean-Maurice Ripert, Head of the EU delegation to Turkey.
Parliamentarians and political parties of Turkey and the Member States will come together in symposia, dialogue fora, summer camps, conferences and other events in order to increase knowledge and understanding between Turkey and the European Union, thus allowing for a better awareness of the opportunities and challenges of Turkey’s accession to the EU.
The "Civil Society Facility- Parliamentary Exchange and Dialogue" project (financed by the European Union for a total of 2.5 M€) is the first project that targets political groups and organizations that are interested and influential in the process of Turkey's integration. It aims to maximize the role of Grand National Assembly of Turkey in the process of EU membership negotiations by promoting the dialogue between parliamentarians as well as political parties represented in the parliament of the Member States and Turkey.
This project is of great importance, since the role of the parliament is fundamental in any country negotiating its accession to the EU. A dialogue, built with the other parliaments and political parties in the member states would allow for a better understanding and sharing of experiences. In 2008, a European twinning project was conducted between the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Italian and Hungarian Parliaments.
The European Union launched the first EU-Turkey Civil Society Dialogue programme in 2006. Since then, many projects have been implemented in various areas such as culture and arts, intercultural dialogue, chambers, fisheries and agriculture. Under this programme, more than 200 civil society organisations from Turkey and EU received grants amounting to 35 million Euros. The Civil Society Dialogue represents a key element of the EU’s accession strategy for Turkey and an important part of its financial cooperation with the EU. As such it will continue to complement technical accession negotiations.
Date/ Time: 28 May 2012, 11:30
Venue: The Ceremony Hall, Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Ankara
For further information, please contact the Delegation:
Nalan Özdemir, Tel.: (+90 312) 459 87 00
nalan.ozdemir@eeas.europa.eu
You may also visit http://pecs.tbmm.gov.tr
