"EU-Turkey High Level Business Dialogue – EU Green Deal" meeting held on March 10-11, 2021, via virtual video conference.
A two-day virtual video conference, the “EU-Turkey High Level Business Dialogue,” initiated on Wednesday, March 10, 2021, between the President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) and Vice President of the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry (EUROCHAMBRES), M. Rifat Hisarciklioglu; EUROCHAMBRES President, Christoph Leitl; Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Turkey, Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut; Deputy Minister of Commerce, Gonca Yilmaz Batur; and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director of EU Affairs, Ambassador Faruk Kaymakci.
M. Rifat Hisarciklioglu underlined that the Green Deal and green economy is a new model for Turkey's growth and transformation. He began by saying, “We believe it would be useful for the EU to provide financial assistance to support this process." Emphasizing that Turkey and the EU are partners and allies, Hisarciklıoglu said, "Both Turkey and the EU have achieved a lot in economic integration. As a business community, it is our duty to add more issues to our long-standing partnership."
EUROCHAMBRES President Christoph Leitl explained that business dialogue is one of the rare bridges between Turkey and the EU, adding that it should be strengthened, and awareness further raised.
Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Turkey, reminded that International Women's Day was celebrated on March 8th and that it is critical to include women in decision-making mechanisms in both the public and private sectors. Meyer-Landrut stated, "it's very important for women to join the workforce," otherwise it would mean losing 50 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Deputy Trade Minister Gonca Yilmaz Batur stressed that Turkey and the EU are key strategic partners and will continue to be so, Turkey's strategic goal is still full EU membership.
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director for EU Affairs, Ambassador Faruk Kaymakci, said that internal high-level dialogue meetings on economy, transportation and energy should be held, adding that some EU member states continue to exploit their veto rights.
TEPAV Managing Director, Guven Sak, moderated the session titled "Circular Economy" on the second day of the virtual conference on Thursday, March 11, 2021. The session was attended by the Head of the Bilateral and Regional Environmental Cooperation Unit of the EU Commission's General Directorate of Environment, Davor Percan; Acting Director of Energy Efficiency and Climate Change at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Gianpiero Nacci; World Bank Country Director for Turkey, Auguste T. Kouame; Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Enterprise and Business Confederation (TURKONFED), Orhan Turan; and Group Director of Corporate Leaders, Elliot Whittington.
In a presentation titled "Circular Economic Action Plan," Davor Percan mentioned that the EU's circular economic plan has completely changed the production process and will increase recycling while reducing waste. Finally, he concluded his remarks by emphasizing that water, green energy and innovation are of critical importance in the circular economy.
Gianpiero Nacci started by underlining that green approaches are essential for successful economies. In order to achieve a real result in the green transformation of economies, it is necessary to act in accordance with the Paris Agreement. He stressed that Turkey has a competitive advantage and should make good use of the opportunities.
Auguste T. Kouame said that green transformation is one of the World Bank's priorities, and that the World Bank has so far provided $83 billion in climate financing. In relation to this, he mentioned that the World Bank-funded Turkish projects are an important opportunity for both EU market participation and green reconciliation as a country. He concluded by underlining that green infrastructures, sustainable cities and energy efficiency studies are critical.
Orhan Turan began his speech by emphasizing energy efficiency. He stated that resources are not unlimited, and that the world cannot meet the terms of the Paris Agreement at this rate. He mentioned that the Green Deal is important to increase the competitiveness of companies and SMEs in Turkey- it is necessary to increase the training and skill levels of SMEs in order to gain this competitive advantage. Focusing on energy efficiency in the last part of his speech, Turan underlined that Turkey consumes 60 billion dollars per year worth of energy and that this consumption actually creates the potential for an energy transformation and energy saving for Turkey.
Elliot Whittington began his remarks by mentioning the Green Deal of the European Union. He mentioned that energy companies around the world take renewable energy and energy transformation seriously. He noted that companies are rapidly adopting game-changing methods. He stressed that significant waste problems created by sectors such as cement, aluminum, or plastics, should be solved and that these sectors should take precedence in the green economy. Finally, he concluded by underlining that green change will not happen in a day and that change will happen if we all work together with wide participation.
» EU-Turkey High Level Business Dialogue - To watch the opening session click here.
» "EU-Turkey Economic and Trade Relations and Common Challenges within the Framework of the EU Green Deal" - To watch the first session click here.
» "Professional Skills in Transition to the EU Green Order" - To watch the second session click here.
» "Recovery, Investment and Sustainable Financing" - To watch the third session click here.
» "Circular Economy" - To watch the fourth session click here.
» EU-Turkey High Level Business Dialogue - To watch the closing session click here.
