IKV Strategy and Business Development Director M. Gökhan Kilit, IKV Coordinator of EU Information Centre and Press Officer Mehmet Poyrazlı, IKV Junior Researcher Selvi Eren and IKV Junior Researcher Merve Özcan attended the workshop entitled “Analysis of Effects of Regional and Free Trade Agreements on Turkey’s Foreign Agricultural Trade” that is organised by General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies (TAGEM) on 3 May in Ankara.

The opening speech of the workshop was made by Deputy Director-General of TAGEM Dr. Necati Tulgar. In his speech, Dr. Tulgar informed the participants about agricultural AR-GE investments in Turkey, organisational structure of TAGEM and its institutions. He added that TAGEM is also Turkey’s biggest AR-GE centre.

Following his speech, Dr. Berrin Taşkaya Top, who is an agricultural engineer at Agricultural Economic and Policy Development Institute (TEPGE) and coordinator of the project entitled ‘‘Analysis of Possible Effects of Regional and Free Trade Agreements on Turkey’s Foreign Agricultural Trade’’ made a speech about Turkey’s free trade agreements (STA), Customs Union between Turkey and the EU as well as TTIP, TPP and MERCOSUR in general. She added that the aim of the workshop is to find out the opinions and expectations of the sector’s stakeholders on effects of liberalisation process of foreign trade. Due to these comprehensive trade agreements which might create possible effects of liberalisation of foreign trade of agricultural products, she underlined that the outcomes of the workshop would contribute to necessary preparations before the policy development.

Dr. Top also informed the participants about the next workshop which will be held in October, 2017. During the workshop, she said that the discussions will be conducted in four separate working groups of grain, vegetables- fruits, animal products, industrial plants and its industry.

She stated that the questions of ‘‘to what extent are sub-sectors of agriculture prepared for the liberalisation process of foreign trade?” and ‘‘how will these sectors be influenced from the liberalisation process of foreign trade in unprotected market that is open to foreign competition?” will be examined during the workshop in order to find out threats and opportunities for the sectors.