IKV and Turkey-EU Association (Türkiye AB Derneği - TURABDER) organised a panel to discuss the future of Turkey-EU relations that was hosted by Antakya Chamber of Commerce and Industry on 18 November 2017. The panel brought the relevant academics, representatives of the business circles and NGOs and other related stakeholders together. IKV Research Director Çisel İleri and Junior Researcher Merve Özcan participated the panel discussions.

The first opening speech was delivered by President of Antakya Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hikmet Çinçin. He underlined the regional problems of Hatay and gave information on the latest situation of Syrian population under temporary protection in Turkey. The second opening speech was delivered by the former Ambassador of Turkey to Qatar and the OECD and TURABDER member Mithat Rende. After having expressed his sincere thanks for the organisation of such panel, he touched upon the regional problems and the current state of Turkey-EU relations.

Then, the panel entitled “Turkey-EU Relations in the Light of Recent Geopolitical Developments” began. The panel’s moderator Prof. Dr. H. Gül Günver Turan, President of TURABDER expressed that the recent developments in Turkey-EU relations have been affecting not only Turkey but also the EU Member States. The first panelist, the former Ambassador Yusuf Buluç, shared his views regarding the recent tension with NATO and gave insight on both Turkey-EU and Turkey-NATO relations. The second panelist Secretary General of TURABDER Ela Taşkın explained the history of the NGOs in the EU, the role they may play in global turbulances and their importance for the EU integration.

Later on, the European Stability Initiative (ESI) researcher and TURABDER member Erkut Emcioğlu took the stage as the third speaker. He enunciated Turkey-EU relations within the context of the negotiation process and the Turkey-EU Negotiation Framework by paying special attention to the blocked 23^rd chapter “Judiciary and Fundamental Rights” and the 24^th chapter “Justice, Freedom and Security”. Moreover, by touching upon the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA), he shared some statistics on the utilisation rate of Turkey from the funds. Lastly, IKV Research Director Çisel İleri made a presentation on the topics including the current trade figures between Turkey and the EU; the benefits of the Customs Union for Turkey and the needs for its modernisation. After the Q&A session, the panel ended up with the evaluations of Prof. Dr. H. Gül Günver Turan.