ENV.net Training on May 7-8 Istanbul Turkey

Two day Training session on ‘Environment in the EU: Funding Mechanisms and Policy Processes’ was organized in Istanbul, Turkey on 7-8 May 2014. Training was delivered by ENV.net partners, TEMA, punto.sud and EEB and targeted key staff and volunteers of Turkish Environmental CSOs (NGOs/CBOs, youth organizations, academic institutions, and other type of non-profit organizations).

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The main objective of the course was to provide a general understanding of the funding mechanisms within EU and enable participants to actively participate in call for proposals launched by the European Commission and the EU Delegations for projects to be implemented in Turkey or abroad.

The course also aimed to familiarize participants with selected EU policy areas, highlighting possibilities to be better informed and identify channels how they can contribute to the national and EU policy making.

There were 25 participants from 18 different cities from all over Turkey that attended the two day training. First day of the Training started with a welcome session where participants and facilitators get to know each other.

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Day continued with the official from ENV.net partner punto.sud, Federico Bastia held three consecutive sessions on:

  • To improve knowledge of EU programming and funding system
  • To better perform in participating in EU calls for proposals
  • To understand how to get involved in the work on the environmental policy
  • To know more about decision-making processes at national and the EU levels

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Second day of the Training was delivered by the official from ENV.net partner EBB, Mara Silina. Two sessions delivered by her included topics on:

  • Monitoring EU approximation process
  • Group work on Turkey’s most important environmental problems and how EU candidacy can support environmental work of CSOs
  • Channels NGOs can intervene in the approximation process and the relations with the EU during their country’s candidacy

Both first and second days of the Training Program, sessions on the presentation of good examples from Turkey were organized. Gökmen Argun from UNDP GEF SGP, Neslihan Özgüneş from TACSO Turkey, Seda Orhan from Naturefriends International and İlge Kıvılcım from İktisadi Kalkınma Vakfı were present at these sessions to share information and their experience.

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There was also a special session delivered by Kenan Doğan from TEMA Foundation on the identification of Turkey’s environmental problems and the EU environmental acquis. Proceedings from this session will be made available online.