Turkey-EU Relations

1. Turkey-EU Relations THE Role and Contribution of TOBB

2. Outline • Who arewe? • Chamber system • Network (national & international) • How have we organized our work? • What dowe do for the EU Accession Process? • Failures in the EU Accession Process

3. Who are we? Chamber system • Continental chamber system – compulsory membership (similar to German, French, Spanish, Italian, Netherlands etc.) • Non-profit organizations • Self financing • Election for all the governing bodies

4. Who arewe? National Network • A grassroots organization. • 1.3 million members; • Small, medium and large enterprises • From all sectors of the economy • 365 local chambers and commodity exchanges. • 56 Sectoral Assemblies.

5. Who arewe? International Network (1) • World Chamber Federation • EUROCHAMBRES • Islamic Chamber of Commerce • ECO Chambers of Commerce and Industry • Association of Balkan Chambers of Commerce and Industry

6. Who arewe? International Network (2) • ASCAME • International Road Transport Union • OECD- BIAC • Business Councils with 77 countries (Trough Foreign Economic Relations Board – DEİK; an affiliate of TOB)

7. Turkey-EU Relations and the Business Community

8. Turkey-EU Relations • 31 July 1959, Application for association membership, • 12 September 1963, Association Agreement signed, • 1 January 1973, Additional Protocol entered into force, • 14 April 1987, Application for membership, • 1 January 1996, Customs Union • 11-12 December 1999, Turkey’s candidature was re-affirmed • 6 October 2004,The European Commission declared that “Turkey sufficiently fulfils the Copenhagen Political Criteria”, • 17 December 2004, decision to start negotiations with Turkey was taken, • 3 October 2005, accession negotiations started, • 8 chapters opened for negotiations

9. How we have organized our work?Anchors • Anchors of restructuring the work of TOBB; • Turkey’s Economic crisis of 2001 and the economic reform program • EU Accession process • Globalization

10. How we have organized our work?Legislation & Institutions • A new law for TOBB and Chamber system • Upgradee the existing structures, • IKV • Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) • TOBB Brussles Permanent Representation • New institutions; • TEPAV: Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey • TOBB University of Economics and Technology • Turkish Business Research Organization (TUR&BO) • TOBB Washington Representative

11. For Better Policy Formulation:Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey Established in2004 Objective:To create an independent research capacity for PSD and PPSD. • Three Institutes have been established: • -Economic Policy Research Institute • Stability Institute • Foreign Policy Institute

12. Investment on Education:TOBB-University of Economics Technology • Established in 2003. • Academic Success: • Number One:Publication per academic • (2005 –2006 Resource: YÖK) The most preferred university

13. What dowe do for the EU Accession Process?Answers! • We need to build capacity at; • Policy making, • TOBB level, • local/chambers level, • corporate level, • We need to work on acquis alignment • We need to work on civil society dialogue

14. Policy making ! What dowe do for the EU Accession Process? • TEPAV • TOBB-ETU • Strengthening the Economic Development Foundation (İKV)

15. TOBB The General Assembly (1500 delegates & Representatives from the Local Chambers) Board of Directors (15 Members - Elected by General Assembly) President ( elected for 4 years - re-elected once) Secretary General (appointed) Legal Adviser Brussles Representation Press Adviser Washington Representation Advisers to SG İstanbul Office DeputySecretary General DeputySecretary General DeputySecretary General H.D. Foreign Ecn. Relations H.D. Administrative Affairs H.D. Industry H.D. EU Department H.D. Financial Affairs H.D. Sectroral Assemblies H.D. Trade and TIR Carnets H.D. Chambers H.D. Human Resources H.D. IT

16. at TOBB level What dowe do for the EU Accession Process? • Stronger EU Secretariat at TOBB. • The number of staff has been increasing (from 1 to 17) • The EU division has been upgraded to Head of Department • More staff with EU background are employed in the departments, such as, industry, environment, SME, Trade etc. • TOBB EU Harmonization Commission • Established in May 2005, • Consists of 8 members (all businessmen)

17. at chamber/local level What dowe do for the EU Accession Process? • Turkish Chamber Development Program I • TOBB-Eurochambres Joint project, • Financially supported by the EU from the MEDA Funds (1 milliion €) • Implemented in 2001-2002 • 11 partnership between Turkish and EU chambers were established, • TOBB Chamber Accreditation system was introduced by TOBB and the British Chambers of Commerce • Objective: TCDP was designed to strengthen the role of Turkish Chambers of Commerce and Industry by developing their capacity tocontribute to the internationalization of their member enterprises and to play a key role in local development. 

18. at chamber/local level What dowe do for the EU Accession Process? • Turkish Chamber Development Program II (2004-2005) • Follow up of TCDP I • Financially supported by the EU from the MEDA Funds (1 million €) • Implemented in 2004-2005 • 10 partnership between Turkish and EU chambers were established, • 10 chamber executives were trained on chamber management

19. at chamber/local level What dowe do for the EU Accession Process? • EU-Turkey Chamber Forum – • TOBB-Eurochambres project • 4,5 million financial contribution of the EU • Part of Turkey –EU Civil society dialogue • Objective; to strengthen the dialogue and co-operation between the Turkish Chambers and their counterparts in the EU as members of civil society; thus promoting the integration of EU and Turkish business communities.

20. at chamber/local level What dowe do for the EU Accession Process? • EU-Turkey Chamber Forum – activities; • Survey to assess the knowledge of Turkish companies on EU affairs and relevant policies. • Establishment of 15-20 EU-Turkey Chamber partnerships. • Implementation of 12 EU Training Seminars in Turkey (Based on the feedback of the survey). • Preparation of 6 EU Publications. • Participation of 30 Turkish Chamber representatives in EUROCHAMBRES European Academies. • Creation of a Turkish Experts Database. • Accreditation of approx. 50 Turkish Chambers.

21. at chamber/local level What dowe do for the EU Accession Process? CASE Project:Chambers working for the Implementation of the Acquisand Business Ethics • Objective; • To increase the level of awareness of companies on the relevant acquis and its implications (consumer protection; environment, safety at work; standardization; ) • To ensure that Chambers have the capacity and tools to guide them in that process. • Duration: 18 months • Components; • Development and implementation of the acquis: • 40 executives from local chambers trained on Acquis Audit on May 2008, in Istanbul • 400 companies will be audited for acquis compliance. • Introduction of a CSR strategy among young entrepreneurs: • 20 executives will be trained on CSR • 100 companies will be visited for CSR strategy

22. at chamber/local level What dowe do for the EU Accession Process? • Training programs on EU Project cycle management (EU financial contribution, TOBB and EUSG) • IPA awareness raissing – information seminars (TOBB-Ministry of Industry and Trade) • Academics for local development project; • TOBB – TEPAV Project • Objective; To contribute to the policy making capacity for the local issues of the chambers by initiating links between Chambers and Academics,

23. at chamber/local level What dowe do for the EU Accession Process? • Organized the women entrepreneurs at the national level trough the “TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Board” • Organized the women entrepreneurs at the local level through the “Chamber Women Entrepreneurs Board” • Objective: To support the women entrepreneurs in the coming elections of the chambers and TOBB. • Chambers are encouraged for positive discrimination.

24. at corporate level What dowe do for the EU Accession Process? • Turkey-EU Business Development Centers Project I; • TOBB project, • Financially supported by the EU from the MEDA Funds (17,5 million €) • Implemented in 2002-2006 • Three Turkey-EU business centers were founded • Turkey-EU Business Development Centers Project II; • TOBB project, • Financially supported by the EU (35 million €) • 14 Business centers will be founded in 2007-2009

25. at corporate level What dowe do for the EU Accession Process? • Seminars organized in cooperation between TOBB-TAIEX Since 2005; • State Aids, • Competition • Standardization • Public procurement • Intellectual Property Rights • Road Transportation and infrastructure • Maritime transportation • Vocational Training • Product safety • Market Surveillance

26. at corporate level What dowe do for the EU Accession Process?Credit Guarantee Fund Objective; to support the SME’s to access finance by providing a guarantee for their financing. Capital: 20 million NTL http://www.kgf.com.tr/eng

27. at corporate level What dowe do for the EU Accession Process?SME Information Portal • Information for SME’s on; • Financial resources • Environmental Impact Reports (CED reports) • Taxation • Social security • Standardization • IPR • etc.

28. at corporate level What dowe do for the EU Accession Process? Industrial Database Data on industry; • By sector • By city • By employment • By foreign capital

29. at corporate level What dowe do for the EU Accession Process? Vocational training • There is a gap between the graduates the education system is supplying and the industry is demanding. • TOBB Vocational Education Commission has been established and an interim report prepared and submitted to the Ministry of National Education. • A seminar on Vocational education has been currently cunducted – (TOBB-TAIEX)

30. Accession Process What dowe do for the EU Accession Process? TOBB Brussels Secretary General Dep. Secretary General IKV TOBB ETU Head of EU Department Working Group – Free Movement of Goods Working Group – Public Procurement Working Group – Enterprise Policy Working Group – Custom Union Working Group – IPR Composition of the Working TOBB staff (coordinator); sectoral representatives; chamber representatives; IKV; TEPAV; TOBB ETU Groups -

31. Some Global and regional projects of TOBB

32. What do we do for the EU Accession Process? TOBB EU Communication Strategy

33. Failures of TOBB in the EU Accession Process • Limited access to the documents of negotiation process (we can have access to only certain parts of the screening report; we cannot see even the “draft” version of the negotiation position document). • No “institutionalized” mechanism which enables the business community to intervene the accession process.