Programme

43rd meeting of the Türkiye – EU Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) 25-26 June 2026 in Ankara
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DRAFT PROGRAM

Meeting Venue: The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye(TOBB)

25 June 2026, Thursday

10:45 – 11:00 | Registration

  • Meeting Venue: The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB)
  • Address: Dumlupınar Bulvarı No:252 (Eskişehir Yolu 9. Km.) 06530 /ANKARA

11:00 – 12:00 | Opening Session

  • Presided over by Co-Chair M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu

Adoption of the Draft Agenda

Welcome Remarks by the Co-chairs of the EU-Türkiye Joint ConsultativeCommittee

  • M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, President of Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB), Co-chair of the Türkiye-EU Joint Consultative Committee
  • Ioannis Vardakastanis, Member of the European Economic and SocialCommittee (EESC), Co-chair of the Türkiye-EU Joint ConsultativeCommittee

Opening Speeches

  • Ambassador Aivo Orav, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye
  • Ambassador Mehmet Kemal Bozay, Deputy Minister of ForeignAffairs and Director for EU Affairs

The Role of Organised Civil Society in the Current Geopolitical Context

  • Stefano Palmieri, President of the External Relations Section of theEuropean Economic and Social Committee
  • Güven Sak, Founding Director of TEPAV

Discussion
Anyone who wishes to speak will be given the floor.

12:00 – 12:15 | Coffee Break

12:15 – 13:45 | Working Session I - SMEs in Turbulent Times

Presided over by Co-Chair M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu

  • Presentation of “SME’s Resilience and Adaptation to Green and DigitalTransition” by Çiğdem NAS (Secretary General of EconomicFoundation, GRI, Employers’ Group) and “Women as Drivers for Competitive, Inclusive and Future-Ready SMEs” by Ayşe YÜREKLİ (Senior Policy Advisor European Affairs of KAGİDER, GRIII – CivilSociety Organizations)
  • Testimonial by H. Çağrı Gürgür, Chief Advisor of TOBB President
  • Presentation of the EESC Report "Resilient SMEs in Turbulent Times – Competitiveness, Quality Employment, and SustainableTransformation" by Rapporteur Claudio CAPPELLINI (GRI, Employers’ Group, Italy)
  • Testimonial by Duygu Delikanlı, Deputy Secretary General AHK Türkiye

Discussion

13:45 – 14:45 | Lunch

15:00 – 16:30 | Working Session II - Digital Transformation, Technological Development and Innovation: Policies and Governance

Presided over by Co-Chair Ioannis Vardakastanis

  • Presentation of the EESC Report “Digital transformation: Economic, social and governance dimensions” by Rapporteur Maurizio Mensi (Group III – Civil Society Organisations, Italy) and Co-rapporteur: Veselin Mitov (Group II – Workers’ Group, Bulgaria)
  • Testimonial by Ömer Hantal, EIT Community Officer Türkiye
  • “Labour and Human Centred Digital Transformation” by Hamza Öksüz (Vice President of Memur-Sen, GR II – Workers’ Group) and “CivilSociety as a Joint Platform Against Disinformation in the Age of DigitalTransformation” by Murat Pehlivanoğlu (R&D Exper of T. Kamu-Sen, GR II – Workers’ Group)
  • Testimonial by Ussal Şahbaz, Managing Partner, Ussal Consultancy 

Discussion

20:00 – 22:00 | Dinner

  • Venue: Kale Divan Otel

26 June 2026, Friday

10:00 – 11:00 | Adoption of the Joint Declaration

11:00 – 11:30 | Discussion on Topics of New Work

11:30 – 12:00 | Closing Session

Presided over by Co-Chair Ioannis Vardakastanis

  • Ioannis Vardakastanis, Co-Chair of the EU-Türkiye Joint Consultative Committee 
  • M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, Co-Chair of the EU-Türkiye Joint Consultative Committee