The Foreign Relations and European Union Coordination Center, which was established with the approval of the Governor's Office dated 03.02.2005 and numbered 217, has been operating as the European Union and Foreign Relations Office as of September 2015.  In the European Union accession process of our country, our office has been carrying out the following works within Istanbul:

 

• Establishing the necessary infrastructure
• Preparation of the townspeople for EU citizenship
• Ensuring cooperation, communication and coordination in the adoption and implementation of the acquis, which is binding for EU member states.

 

Planning and implementing the necessary activities in the EU accession process, which is a social transformation project based on the cooperation of local governments, non-governmental organizations, public institutions and organizations, private sector and citizens, has been adopted as the basic principle.

 

Within this scope, the following activities are carried out:

 

1.    Investigating the ways and methods to benefit from positive developments during the candidacy period by communicating and exchanging information with EU organs;
2.    Determining priorities for Istanbul and guiding current and future studies on the EU;
3.    Establishing an information and documentation center for the benefit of public institutions and organizations, press, universities, local governments, non-governmental organizations and citizens regarding the organization and operation of the EU and carrying out continuous information activities; 
4.    Providing direct cooperation and coordination with Presidency, EU Turkey Representation, Ministry of Interior European Union and the Department of Foreign Relations;
5.    Building and enhancing capacity within the governorship units for better adoption and reception of the EU acquis (acquisitions);
6.    Preparing Istanbul for EU membership in institutional, managerial and financial aspects;
7.    Transferring the knowledge and experience of the recent member states to the EU to all private, non-governmental and public institutions in Istanbul;
8.    Actively participating in activities, meetings, discussion platforms, information sharing platforms, etc. to be held at national and international levels during the EU accession process and to express opinions in this regard; 
9.    Encouraging cooperation and information exchange with similar organizations and related institutions in Turkey and EU countries by creating a solidarity platform specific to Istanbul;
10.    Informing and enlightening the public about EU membership and the advantages of being an EU citizen under the leadership of the governorship; 
11.    Taking part in various EU programs and projects, guiding the transfer of resources from existing funds and support programs by preparing new and original projects;
12.    Monitoring, evaluating and ensuring the necessary coordination of all kinds of studies regarding the harmonization with the EU legislation within the framework of the duties of existing public institutions and organizations.

 

For information about the projects carried out by our office: www.abmerkez.com