Seminar Cycle

ECORYS METU EU Seminar Series II

“Turkish Accession and the EU: Project/Programme Development and Implications in Critical Sectors”

EU Policies and Funds have become increasingly important for Turkey.  As Turkey is a candidate country for EU membership; the EU Acquis, EU thematic policies and EU funds such as the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA) play an important role towards EU accession. In this light, it is of utmost importance that civil servants, policy makers, NGOs representatives and private companies engaged in EU policies are well informed about the latest developments within the EU. 

For these reasons, ECORYS Research and Consulting and the Center for European Studies (CES), Middle East Technical University (METU) are proudly presenting this seminar series, which provide up-to-date insights in EU policy developments in a variety of themes relevant for accession and implementation of IPA Funds in Turkey. 

The seminar series targets persons with an interest in EU developments and for which EU policies and EU funds management are of interest in their work. Participants can be civil servants, representatives of international organizations, embassies, ministries, NGOs, and other relevant bodies and private companies in Turkey. The seminar series will be of interest for the members of EU Delegation, Directorate General of EU Affairs (EUSG), State Planning Organization (SPO), embassies of EU member and candidate countries, ministries, other public bodies, NGOs, and private company members. The seminars will be held in English. Requirements for seminar series participants include a university degree and good understanding of English. 

What are the objectives of the seminar series?

The objectives of the seminar series are:

• Increase capacities and knowledge of civil servants and NGO representatives in the requirements for EU Accession and EU Funds management
• Make seminar series participants familiar with the most up-to date developments in EU policies in relevant EU policy themes. These themes are: Competitiveness: Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Social Policies and Employment, Regional Development, Environment and Energy policies.
• Share relevant experiences, projects and best practices in the new EU Member States in the above themes relevant for Turkey
• Learn lessons from previous experiences in the new EU member states as recommendations for Turkey 

For whom is the seminar series? Who is the target group?

The seminar series targets persons with an interest in EU developments and for which EU policies and EU funds management are of interest in their work. Participants can be civil servants, representatives of international organizations, embassies, ministries, NGOs, and other relevant bodies and private companies in Turkey. The seminar series will be of interest for the members of EU Delegation, Secretariat General for EU Affairs (EUSG), State Planning Organization (SPO), embassies of EU member and candidate countries, ministries, other public bodies, NGOs, and private company members. The seminars will be held in English. Requirements for seminar series participants include a university degree and good understanding of English. 

What are the topics of the seminar series?

The seminar series will consist of both general and thematic modules.  The following 7 modules will be organized from March until May 2011 in the evenings of Thursdays and Saturday mornings. There will be two breaks between the 3^rd and 4^th and the 5^th and 6^th modules. 

1. The EU Enlargement and the Turkish Accession to the EU: Dynamics of EU Enlargement framework and the implications of the Turkish Accession to the EU
2. The EU Cohesion Policies, IPA and Regional Competitiveness Operational Programme (RCOP): EU Cohesion Policies, the Regional Development Framework of the EU policies and the Regional Competitiveness Operational Programme of Turkey
3. The Lisbon Process: Innovation  and Entrepreneurship:Recent Policies and Best Practices from the New EU Member States and Lessons for Turkey
4. EU Policies on Human Resources Development and Labour Markets:Recent policies and best practices from the new EU Member States and lessons for Turkey, EU and Turkish Labour Markets and Employment Policies
5. EU Project Development and Application for EU Funds:How to Develop Good Projects and Apply to be able to Benefit from the EU funds?
6. Financial Management and Procurement Procedures in the EU funded Projects Implementation and Lessons from EU and pre-Accession Countries, Flow of Funds, Budgeting and Payment Systems, and EU Procurement Rules and Procedures (PRAG)
7. EU Transport Policies: Railway and Maritime:Recent Policies, Directives and Regulations with Best Practices from EU Member states.

For more information, please download the seminar flyer.

You can also contact the seminar coordinator at: