The Fourth Institut du Bosphore annual seminar discussed the challenges and opportunities of the crisis in Europe

The fourth of  Institut du Bosphore Annual Seminar is held on 8th and 9th November, 2012, in Istanbul Ceylan Intercontinental Hotel, with the main theme of “Europe in Crisis: Impact, Challenges and Opportunities for France and Turkey”. In addition to the Turkish and French participants, a number of high level guests from the EU circles attended to the meeting.

Opening addresses of the second day of the meeting were delivered by Ms. Helene Flautre, Member of the European Parliament (European Green Party) and Co-Chairwoman of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, Ms. Ümit Boyner, President of the Board of Directors of TÜSİAD, Mr. Kemal Derviş, Co Chairman of the Scientific Committee of the Institut du Bosphore, Vice President of the Brooking Institution, Member of Sabancı University International Board of Overseers, and Dr. Alaattin Büyükkaya, Turkey Deputy Minister of the EU Affairs.

Ms. Boyner’s speech lauded Institut du Bosphore for creating an objective platform where all the aspects of the topics related to Turkey, France and the EU could be freely discussed. Ms. Boyner underlined that recent economic developments clearly demonstrated Europe' need towards a deeper union and more efficient governance. And she said: “In Turkey we must consider the question of how the EU can form an effectual union with Turkey as an increasingly important country.” Ms. Boyner emphasized the necessity of finding ways to cope with the negative feelings caused by staggering accession process and she asked for strengthening the forward looking cooperation between the EU and Turkey. Ms. Boyner stated that the reasons of awarding the Nobel Peace Award to the EU should guide its future policies and said that to interpret the rising economic and political profile of Turkey in its region, independently of the EU anchor, would be quite inappropriate.

During the first day of the Seminar on the 8th November the topic of strengthening the relations of the EU, France and Turkey in a multipolar world and issues of cooperation for the global stability were elaborated. The Seminar was inaugurated by the welcome speech of Mr. Bahadır Kaleağası, President of  Institut du Bosphore and the opening addresses were delivered by Ms. Meral İnci Zaim, Member of the Board of Directors of TÜSİAD and Member of the Scientific Committee of the Institut du Bosphore, Mr. Henri de Castries, Chairman and CEO of AXA Management Board and Co-chairman of the Scientific Committee of  Institut du Bosphore, and Mr. Alain Bauer, Co-President of the CSFRS (High Council for Strategic Education and Research).

First day session was moderated by Mr. Haluk Tükel, Advisor to TÜSİAD and Founding President (2009-2011) and Member of the Scientific Committee of Institut du Bosphore. Mr. Jean François Bayart, Research Director of the CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research), Mr. Yavuz Canevi, Member of the Board of Directors of TEB and Member of the Scientific Committee of Institut du Bosphore, Mr. Frédéric Charillon, Director of IRSEM (the Strategic-Research Institute of the French Military Academy), Mr. Leon Aslan Coşkun, President of the Board of Director of Mazars–Denge, Mr. Thierry Mariani, Deputy in the French National Assembly, Former Minister of Transport and Member of the Scientific Committee of  Institut du Bosphore, and Mr. Thierry de Montbrial, Founder and President of the IFRI (French Institute of International Relations) and Member of the Scientific Committee of  Institut du Bosphore participated to the panel discussion titled “Turkey and France in a Multipolar World”.

The second day of the Seminar included a session on the challenges and opportunities for the European economy and focused on the recovery from the economic crisis. The first panel discussion entitled “Recovering from Economic Crisis» was moderated by Ms. Özlem Dalga, Head of Economics Department of the Bloomberg HT. Mr. Henri de Castries, Chairman & CEO of AXA and Co-Chairman of Scientific Committee of Institut du Bosphore, Mr. Kemal Derviş, Vice- President of Brookings Institution, Member of Sabancı University International Board of Overseers  and Co-Chairman of the Scientific Committee of  Institut du Bosphore, Mr. Guillaume Klossa, President of EuropaNova, Mr. Vincent Koen, Head of the Country Studies Division of the OECD, Assistant Prof. Sascha Steffen, Karl-Heinz Kipp Chair in Research at the ESMT (European School of Management and Technology), and Mr. Zafer Ali Yavan, Secretary General of TUSIAD delivered a speech.

The Seminar also included a luncheon meeting titled “Focus on energy questions”. Moderated by Institut du Bosphore President, Bahadır Kaleağası, Mr. Selahattin Hakman, Energy Group President of Sabancı Holding and Mr. Denis Simonneau, Diplomatic Counselor, Member of the Executive Committee and Director of European and International Relations,GDF SUEZ made introductory remarks during luncheon.

The final session of the Seminar  discussed the prospects of Turkey and European Union. The session was moderated by Mr. Philippe Cayla, President of the Euronews Development. The speakers included Mr. Mario David, Member of the European Parliament and Vice President of the European People’s Party, Ms. Elvire Fabry, Senior Research Fellow, Head of the «Think Global Act European» project at Notre Europe, Ms. Elisabeth Guigou, Deputy (SRC) of the French National Assembly, President of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Member of the Scientific Committee of  Institut du Bosphore, Mr. Faruk Loğoğlu, Vice President of the CHP (Republican People’s Party), Prof. Hakan Yılmaz, Lecturer in Boğaziçi University and Director of the Boğaziçi University Foreign Policy Forum, and Mr. Volkan Vural, Member of the Board of Directors of TÜSİAD and Member of the Executive Committee of Institut du Bosphore.

Further information on the Institut du Bosphore may be found at:
http://www.institut-bosphore.org