The recommendations of the opinion will provide guidelines to the other EU institutions, especially to the Commission, on how to better support Turkish civil society organisations and improve their working conditions.
Download — Situation of civil society organisations in Turkey
The EU-Turkey Civil Society Joint Consultative Committee was established in 1995, based on the mandate given by the Ankara Agreement. This body is composed of members from the EESC and members representing organised civil society in Turkey. Its objective is to contribute to the dialogue among civil society organisations in Turkey and the EU and to issue reports and recommendations to the Turkish authorities and the EU institutions.
The discussions at this JCC meeting will include the EU-Turkey relations and the meeting will focus in particular on "Trade development and investment environment for SMEs - Opportunities between the EU and Turkey" and "Civil society organisations, including the social partners, and Turkey-EU Accession Process". Other topics on the programme are "The modernisation of the EU-Turkey Customs Union" and "The visa dialogue".
The EU-Turkey Civil Society Joint Consultative Committee was established in 1995, based on the mandate given by the Ankara Agreement. This body is composed of members from the EESC and members representing organised civil society in Turkey. Its objective is to contribute to the dialogue among civil society organisations in Turkey and the EU and to issue reports and recommendations to the Turkish authorities and the EU institutions.
Among the many topics to be discussed at this JCC meeting: The EU-Turkey relations, the rôle of Turkey in the refugee crisis, the Enhancement of EU-Turkey bilateral trade relations and modernisation of the Customs Union, the Blue Economy in the Western Mediterranean.
The EU-Turkey Civil Society Joint Consultative Committee was established in 1995, based on the mandate given by the Ankara Agreement. This body is composed of members from the EESC and members representing organised civil society in Turkey. Its objective is to contribute to the dialogue among civil society organisations in Turkey and the EU and to issue reports and recommendations to the Turkish authorities and the EU institutions.
The following topics were discussed at this JCC meeting: the state of play of the EU-Turkey relations and the implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement; the state of the economy in Turkey and the EU-Turkey economic developments; social issues including employment and women rights in Turkey.
The meeting was conclude with the adoption of a joint declaration.
Turkey’s geographical position makes it a first reception and transit country for many refugees and migrants. As the result of an unprecedented influx of people seeking refuge, the country currently hosts around 3 million registered Syrian refugees and is making commendable efforts to provide them with humanitarian aid and support. The EU is committed to assist Turkey in dealing with this challenge. The EU-Turkey Statement, which was issued on 18 March 2016, reconfirmed both parties' commitment to the implementation of the EU-Turkey joint action plan activated on 29 November 2015.
A hearing will be organized by the EESC to examine different aspects of protection which Turkey offers to refugees, from the point of view of civil society organisations (CSOs). Particular attention will be devoted to evaluating economic, social and humanitarian conditions of refugees in the country and new areas of cooperation will be explored.
The EU-Turkey Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) brings together representatives of organised civil society from the EU and Turkey. It complements the other bodies set up within the framework of the Association Agreement between the EU and Turkey and enables civil society organisations from both sides to monitor the accession negotiations and initiate debates on issues of common interest. Its members come from various economic and social interest groups. This is the 35th meeting and it took place in Ankara.
The External Relations Section (REX) of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is responsible for dialogue between European civil society organisations and their homologues from the countries with which the European Union has formal relations (e.g. under the form of a Free Trade Agreement). Through this dialogue, made possible by a series of bilateral bodies, and through specialized opinions and information reports, the Committee is able to concretely contribute to EU foreign policy.
