TÜRKONFED Secretary Generals Delegation have visited Brussels, the capital of European Union, between the 4 – 7th of June. The delegation led by the Secretary General of TÜRKONFED Arda Batu and the Deputy Secretary General Betül Çelikkaleli, held high-level visits to the EU institutions and to the Representation of Turkey to the EU and to Belgium during their two-day long Brussels programme. The TÜRKONFED delegation came together with the policy makers working on the EU and Turkey’s integration to the EU. The delegation exchanged views on the future of Europe, the agenda of the EU business world and Turkey’s EU membership process. Furthermore, the delegation held a meeting at the European SME Union UEAPME, of which TÜRKONFED is a member. The modernisation of the EU-Turkey Customs Union was among the main topics covered during the meetings. The Secretary Generals of the TÜRKONFED member organisations; BASİFED, ESİAD, İSİFED, İSTA, GÜNMARSİFED, MHGF and TKYD participated in the Brussels study visit and coordination meetings. The Secretary Generals Delegation meetings have been organized for the fourth time under the joint project with the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung-FNF Turkey.
TÜRKONFED Secretary Generals met with the Permanent Delegate of Turkey to the EU - Ambassador Faruk Kaymakcı, the Ambassador of Turkey to Belgium Zeki Levent Gümrükçü, the Director for External Relations of the European SME Union UEAPME Luc Hendrickx, the Member of the European Parliament and Co-chair of EP Turkey Forum İsmail Ertuğ, the Secretary General of the European Parliament Turkey Forum, Laura Batalla Adam and the European Liberal Forum Executive Director Susanne Hartig. The two-day long intensive Brussels programme has achieved its goal to inform the secretary generals on topics that set the agenda on EU-Turkey relations and European business world and to convey the views and position of TÜRKONFED members at the EU level.
In addition to the Secretary Generals Delegation meetings, TÜRKONFED Secretary General and Board Member Arda Batu and TÜSİAD European Union and BusinessEurope Representative Dilek Aydın held bilateral meetings with the representatives of the EU institutions.