"JEAN MONNET SCHOLARSHIPS IS ONE OF THE MOST COLORFUL AND EXCITING DIMENSION OF TURKEY-EU RELATIONS"

Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis said that they would attach importance to issues like environment, social policies, and education, culture and energy chapters under the Swedish presidency.

Attending the Jean Monnet Scholars Award Certificates ceremony which was held at the Anatolian Civilizations Museum, Bagis, upon a question of the journalists, stated that they would open the taxation chapter on the last day of Czech Republic's presidency and said "We will attach importance to issues like environment, social policies, education, culture, competition and energy chapters under the Swedish presidency. We will open as many chapters as possible. However what is important is not to open chapters, to carry out reforms. There are serious steps that have been taken in the last six months in our country. This process will continue the EU is a process that would be beneficial to everyone."

Defining the Jean Monnet scholarships as the "most exciting and colorful dimension of Turkey-EU relations", Bagis said that more than 1100 Turkish young people had the opportunity to be educated in Europe in 20 years."

Stating that the most important investment to be made for the young was to increase such scholarships, Bagis said "As the member of the leading party, for the last 7 years, everyone knows that we attach great importance to education. The greatest part of the budget was allocated to Ministry of National Defense in the Republic history, now the greatest part is allocated to the Ministry of National Education. Jean Monnet scholarships are important opportunities for our young."

Stating that 228 young people applied for the next scholarship term, Bagis said 100 of them would be able to get the fellowship and that they hoped 65 percent of it to be from the civil servants.

Addressing the ministers and administrators of the public institutions, Chief Negotiator Bagis wanted all the young people working in the public institutions to be encouraged to apply to these scholarships.

Bagis advised the young people who received the Jean Monnet scholarship to follow the announcements of the exams that would be conducted by the Secretariat General for EU Affairs.

Marc Pierini, Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to Turkey, also made a speech at the ceremony.Resource: AA