Final Agenda Dialogue Program and Conference European experiences in regional governance: lessons for Turkey? Brussels 4-7 March 2012
Planning and Organization: Accommodation: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Brussels EU Office 38, Rue du Taciturne B-1000 Brussels Fax : +32 2 234 62 81 Contact: Stefanie Ricken Tel: +32 2 234 62 98 Mobile: +32 485 33 00 52 Stefanie.Ricken@fes-europe.eu Enrico Günther Tel : +32 2 234 62 95 Mobile: +32 474 86 97 20 Assistant1@fes-europe.eu Martin's Central Park Brussels Boulevard Charlemagne 80 B- 1000 Brussels Tel.: +32 (0)2 230 85 55 Fax : +32 (0)2 230 56 35 mcp@martinshotels.com Interpretation EN-TR: Aksel Can Vannus (Moblie: +32 (0) 484 510 734) Dogan Efe Ertem (Mobile: +33 6 85 83 78 49) Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Istanbul Türkiye Temsilciliği Cihannüma Mahallesi Mehmet Ali Bey Sk. No: 12 D: 5 TR-34353 Beşiktaş /İstanbul Fax: +90 212 258 70 91 Contact : Mert Onur Tel: +90 212 310 84 82 Mobile : + 90 533 740 05 23 Email: mert.onur@fes.fr Transfer: TMS Limousine Tel +: +32 (0)2 46 10 2 99 TESEV Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation Good Governance Program Contact: Emre DÖNMEZ (mobile: +90 537 544 57 75 / mail: emre.donmez@tesev.org.tr)
Participants from Turkey MP Melda Onur (CHP, Republican People's Party), MP since 2011 general elections, member of environment commission; journalist by profession, has been working as reporter in national newspapers and national television channels and as communications consultant before. MP Nihat Zeybekçi (AKP, Justice and Development Party), Lord mayor of Denizli province between 2004 and 2011; Chairman of Association of Municipalities of the Turkish World. MP Demir Çelik (BDP, Peace and Democracy Party), Leader of his party between 2008 and 2010. Former lord mayor of Varto district. Prof. Dr. Korel Göymen, lecturer at Sabancı University Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; member of TESEV Good Governance Advisory Board. His main areas of study are local administration and local and regional development. Prof. Dr. Nihal Incioglu, lecturer at İ stanbul Bilgi University International Relations Department; has published about local politics in Turkey, local elections and political regimes. Prof. Dr. Oktay Uygun, constitutional law professor and Dean of Maltepe University Faculty of Law. Author of the comprehensive book on federalism ( Federal Devlet ); Member of TESEV Good Governance Program s advisory board, responsible of preparing the constitution draft. Mr. Fikret Toksöz, director of TESEV s Good Governance Program; leading the work on the constitutional draft project aiming to advocate for a stronger local and regional administration in Turkey.; has participated in many projects and studies about local administration. Mr. Emre Dönmez, program assistant of Good Governance Program in TESEV; responsible of organization of the project. Has worked in Esenler Municipality in Istanbul for one year
Sunday, 4 March 2012 21h30 Arrival of participants to Brussels Zaventem Airport: Flight TK 1941: Melda Onur, Demir Çelik, Korel Göymen, Nihal Incioglu, Oktay Uygun, Fikret Toksöz, Emre Dönmez Transfer by TMS Limousine Service to Hotel Monday, 5 March 2012 08h45 At Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, EU-Office, Rue du Taciturne 38, 1000 Bruxelles Welcome and Introduction to the Program Andrä GÄRBER, Director FES EU-Office Stefanie RICKEN, Senior Policy Officer, FES EU-Office 09h30 Briefing and Debate with Mose APELBLAT, policy coordinator for support to public administration reform in candidate countries DG Enlargement, European Commission 11h30 At Catalonian Delegation to the EU, Rue de la Loi 227, 1000 Bruxelles Experiences from Spain Meeting and Exchange of views and expertise with Imma BULDÚ Coordinator of delegation, in charge of institutional affairs Delegation to the European Union, Government of Catalonia 13h00 14h30 At «Atelier Européen», Rue Franklin 28, 1000 Brussels Welcome Lunch with Neil CAMPBELL, Head of EU Program, OSI Brussels office Ivo SCHUTTE, DG Enlargement B.3, Political desk; Turkey Team At Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, EU-Office, Rue du Taciturne 38, 1000 Bruxelles Principles of EU regional and cohesion policies Presentation and Debate with experts from DG REGIO Charles WHITE, International Relations Officer, Unit B.1 Inguna KRAMINA, Program Manager, Unit I.5 - TURKEY Nabih ESFAHANI, Program Manager, Transport OP Turkey, Unit I.5 4
21h30 Arrival of Nihat Zeybekçi (Flight TK 1941) to Brussels Zaventem Airport Transfer to the Hotel Martin s Central by TMS Limousine Service Tuesday, 6 March 2012 08h45 11h30 At Committee of Regions, Salle VM6/45, Rue van Maerlant 2, 1040 Brussels Visit to the EU Committee of Regions (CoR) Presentations, Exchange of views and debate on CoR within the EU decision making process Klaus HULLMANN, Administrator at the Directorate Communication, Press and Events. CoR as a political body Justus SCHÖNLAU, Administrator of the Group of the Party of European Socialists (PES) EU-Turkey Cooperation Victor TILEA, Advisor to EU-Turkey Working Group, Secretariat of CoR European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation Alfonso ALCOLEA, Administrator at the Directorate E - Horizontal Policies and Networks 12h00 At «Maison du Luxembourg», 37 rue du Luxembourg, 1000 Brussels Lunch Break and Exchange with MEP Ana GOMEZ (S&D/Port), Coordinator of AFET (Foreign Affairs Committee) for S&D-Group in the EP Eldar MAMEDOV, Advisor on AFET for S&D group in EP 14h30 15h30 At European Parliament, Rue Wiertz, room ASP A5G375 Round Table Debate for exchange of views with Members of the European Parliament from different political groups and their advisors Andrew DUFF MEP (GB/ALDE) Wolfgang KREISSL-DÖRFLER MEP (D/S&D) Ali YURTTAGÜL, Advisor to Green Group in the EP Alessandra NERVI, Advisor to MEP Alexander Grad Lambsdorff (ALDE/DE) 5
16h00-18h00 At Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, EU-Office Exchange of expertise and experience with Prof. Gérard MARCOU Professor of Public Law at the University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Sorbonne School of Law, Director of European Group of Local Government Studies (GRALE) Evening free 6
Wednesday, 7 March 2012 08h45 Meeting with Enrico GÜNTHER in the lobby of the Hotel Martin s Central and walk to the FES EU Office PUBLIC DEBATE: Turkey on the way to a new constitution? At Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, EU-Office 09h00 09h15 Coffee and Registration Welcome remarks and Introduction Andrä GÄRBER, Director, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung EU office Fikret TOKSÖZ, Director Good Governance Program, Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) 09h30 Panel 1: Constitutional process, Kurdish question and the justice sector For the first time in its history, Turkey is formally in the process of drafting a civil constitution based on the will of the people. While some question to what extent that will is represented on a parliament elected on the basis of the highest electoral threshold in Europe, others defend the legitimacy of this parliament on the basis of the record high turnout in the general elections of June 2011. In the meantime, the Kurdish question remains unresolved; the basic rights and demands of the Kurds remain unmet, and thousands of Kurdish politicians and activists remain detained upon remand on terrorism charges. Many wonder: Will Turkey be able to write a new constitution, after all? How will be the demands of the Kurds reflected in the new constitution? Introductory Inputs by Mehmet UÇUM, Constitution Working Group Initiative, Turkey Vahap COSKUN, Dicle University, Diyarbakır, Turkey Can SELCUKI, Researcher, Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) 10h15 11h00 Open debate with EU representatives, policy and decision makers, experts around the table chaired by Koray ÖZDIL, TESEV Democratization Program Coffee Break 11h30 Panel 2: Decentralization Debate and the New Constitution In the context of the constitutional debate in Turkey, TESEV has set up an advisory board of experts and intends to prepare a constitutional draft focusing on the local and regional government aspects of it. This draft will be based on concepts like subsidiarity, pluralism, participation, transparency and efficiency. Two members of this Advisory Board will present the preliminary proposals giving reference to the problems and opportunities about local and regional government, and would like to discuss it with European partners. 7
Introductory Inputs by Korel GÖYMEN, Sabancı University, Turkey Oktay UYGUN, Maltepe University, Turkey Comment from Dr. Silke TÖNSHOFF, Head of Unit for Citizenship, Governance and External relations, Committee of Regions 12h15 13h00 13h15 Open debate with EU representatives, policy and decision makers, experts around the table chaired by Stefanie RICKEN, Senior Policy Officer Enlargement /ENP, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Concluding remarks by Fikret TOKSÖZ, TESEV Lunch Buffet 17h40 Departure Flight TK 1940: Melda Onur, Nihat Zeybekçi, Korel Göymen, Nihal İncioğlu, Oktay Uygun, Fikret Toksöz, Emre Dönmez 8