A recent survey, conducted by EUROCHAMBRES and the Union of Turkish Chambers (TOBB),revealed that Turkish companies are not sufficiently informed about current EU accession negotiations and their potential impact on their business. It also pointed at “Chambers of Commerce” as a prime source of information and support to bridge this knowledge gap.

Against this background, EUROCHAMBRES and TOBB have launched today a new training cycle on EU legislation, targeting Chamber executives from across Turkey. The launch took place in Ankara, in the presence of Michael Vögele, First Secretary (Head of Section Financial Co-operation, Institution Building Civil Society) of the European Commission’s Delegation in Turkey.

The training is aimed at 50 Turkish Chamber executives and will comprise six modules: an introductory module on the functioning of the EU, EU-Turkey relations, EU accession negotiations and European lobbying, and then five other modules covering issues of particular interest for Turkish businesses (competition, trade, taxation, social policy, innovation, etc.). Mr İbrahim ATİKSOY, DEİK Representative of Giresun Chamber of Commerce and Industry, participated to the EU Traininng Programme for GTSO.
Courses will take place in Ankara and Istanbul, implemented in cooperation with ATAUM and the Bahcesehir University.

Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, President of TOBB, said: “After this training, Turkish Chambers will be able to further improve their services towards their member companies, and familiarise them with the so-called acquis communautaire. They will raise their profile and be recognised as a contact point on EU affairs.”
Arnaldo Abruzzini, Secretary General of EUROCHAMBRES, added: “This training is the Chambers’ response to a demand for greater information on EU legislation. We trust that if Chambers are better informed about EU affairs, their member businesses will ultimately be better informed as well, and this will positively impact on their relation with their EU counterparts.”

ETCF and CASE: two projects promoting the acquis communautaire

The EU Training Programme for Turkish Chambers Executives is one of the components of the EU-Turkey Chambers Forum (ETCF), a two-year project financed by the European Union and implemented by EUROCHAMBRES and TOBB. ETCF aims at strengthening long-term cooperation between the Turkish Chambers and their counterparts in the EU, thus promoting the integration of EU and Turkish business communities. ETCF, however, is not the only Chamber programme aimed at improving knowledge about European legislation. Another example is the CASE project (Chambers towards Acquis Support and business Ethics), aimed at helping business communities in Croatia, Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria successfully manage the economic integration process with the EU.

Turkish companies having successfully participated in the CASE programme were also present in Ankara today, to receive a Certificate acknowledging their completion of the Acquis Audit.