F ve m ll on euro d alogue project to support SMEs

The objective of the TEBD program is to strengthen mutual understanding and cooperation between the Turkish and the European private sectors. Over the next 30 months, European and Turkish Chambers of Commerce and Industry will engage in over 100 activities, including Chamber partnerships, capacity building, company surveys, executive visits and more. EUROCHAMBRES will manage the TEBD project in close cooperation of The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), with a total budget of five million euros. The project is funded by the European Union IPA II program and contracted through the CFCU in Ankara. Dirk Vantyghem, TEBD Project Director, said that they want to organize 60 workshops across Turkey, talking the local SMEs to understand what their problems are in doing business with Europe and how some of these problems can be resolved in a modernized Customs Union. “The aim is to get feedback from the operators on the ground, bring that together and turn that into policy messages both for Turkish and European authorities and hopefully launch negotiations,” he said. “We really want to be the bridge between the negotiators and the business community which is struggling and trying to develop its businesses.” Within the scope of the program, an in-depth survey among 5,000-10,000 companies from both sides will be conducted to get a feedback from the people on the ground on their feelings, problems and expectations from the business community. A report will also be prepared to feed the dialogue process with the voice of business leaders of both sides. “I think the most important challenge in Turkey is the interaction between the potential of the real economy and the markets and politics that impact the real economy,” Vantyghem noted. “The real economy is fundamentally competitive but is now suffering from market speculation and of course political issues. We are focusing on strengthening the real economy, particularly smalland medium-sized enterprises.

Because the big ones are globally organized.”