Press release
Essen/Istanbul/Brussels, 05/26/2015

European Union Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini is taking over as patron of the Turkey Europe Future Forum. In this role, Mogherini will be supporting a new network of young European decision-makers that is committed to strengthening Turkish-European relations. The kick-off meeting of the Turkey Europe Future Forum will take place from May 30 to June 7 in Istanbul and Ankara, where 30 participants aged between 25 and 38 will join experts and decision-makers in a discussion of the joint challenges of tomorrow.
The first Turkey Europe Future Forum, which will be exploring the topic of “Neighbourhood in Transition”, has a particular relevance in view of the parliamentary elections in Turkey. The young leaders from the areas of business, politics, academia, media, and civil society wish to give new impetus to the exchange between Turkey and Europe and to strengthen relations between the two. Federica Mogherini’s patronage supports the idea of the Future Forum. “We need strong partners to overcome the challenges which Europe will be facing in the future. The Turkey Europe Future Forum is an important step toward greater cooperation and collaboration. Supporting the young leaders through my patronage is therefore particularly important to me”, said Mogherini, explaining her commitment to the Turkey Europe Future Forum.
As patron, Mogherini heads a group of distinguished supporters: the program’s deans are Ümit Boyner, former president of TÜSIAD and one of Turkey’s most successful businesswomen, and Ruprecht Polenz, a longstanding member of the German Bundestag and former chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Stiftung Mercator Executive Director Michael Schwarz: “During the course of our foundation’s activities, we experience on a daily basis just how important dialog and cooperation are for Europe, Turkey and Germany. We want to get young people excited about a unified Europe that is able to act. We are delighted that Federica Mogherini is supporting this objective through her patronage”.
The goal of the Turkey Europe Future Forum is to establish a European-Turkish network for the challenges of tomorrow. To achieve this, the programme brings together young leaders from different sectors, countries and regions of Europe. An open dialog gives them insights into various issues in different thematic areas. During the Future Forum in the coming week, the participants in Istanbul and Ankara will have the opportunity to take an active part in the discussions for example relating to asylum-seekers and refugees, to meet leading actors in the fields of European politics, business, culture and society. They get the chance to become part of a network that will bring Europe and Turkey closer together, even beyond the forum itself.
The Future Forum is run by the Mercator Program Center for International Affairs in cooperation with the Turkish industry and business association TÜSIAD. Funded by Stiftung Mercator, the Forum is advised on content by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).
If you should have any questions, please contact:
Annkatrin Kaiser
Project Manager Turkey Europe Future Forum
Mercator Program Center for International Affairs
Phone: + 49 201 – 365 782 – 15
kaiser@mpc-international.org