THE FIFTH MEETING OF FCCB HELD IN ANKARA

Senior officials from several ministries gathered at the fifth meeting of the Financial Cooperation Coordination Board (FCCB) to monitor and review the overall functioning of the Turkish-EU financial cooperation process.

Chaired by the Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis, the Board discussed the ongoing work under IPA 2007-2013 that is to expire at the end of 2013 and the preparations for the renewed Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II) for the period 2014-2020.

In his statement at the meeting, Minister Bagis said that they had started preparations for the IPA II which would be in force between 2014 and 2020 and they would have to make use of over a billion euros of EU funding in the following period “considering a funding of € 4,5 billion, expected to be allocated to Turkey during the IPA II period as well as the projects carried out and to be carried out under IPA-I”.

Minister Bagis also underlined his confidence in all institutions to ensure that financial assistance would to be used to support Turkey’s EU accession process also in the new period.

Ministry for EU Affairs, which is in charge of ensuring the utilisation of the IPA funds to be in accordance with harmonisation goals, hosted the meeting which gathered senior officials from Ministry of Justice,  Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology,  Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, Undersecretariat of Treasury, Ministry of Interior Affairs, Ministry of Development, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communication, Central Finance and Contracts Unit, and Agricultural and Rural Development Support Institute.