On 11 December 2018, the 21st meeting of the Working Group on Turkey took place in Ankara, in Turkey. ECR Member Vytautas Kanevičius (Mayor of Kazlų Rūda in Lithuania) took part in the meeting, which was attended by European Committee of the Regions members and representatives of Turkey’s local and regional authorities.

The meeting opened with a presentation on recent developments in the relationship between the EU and Turkey, and then turned to a thematic debate on the integration of refugees. There was a strong emphasis on the exchange of good practices between the two sides.

Turkey is currently hosting over 4 million refugees, 3.5 million of whom are Syrian, and they are having a significant impact on the host communities as well as on the budget. Turkey is providing these refugees with considerable assistance, particularly in the camps, but as many as 90% of them are still living in reception camps.

After the meeting, Mr Kanevičius had the opportunity to visit the UNHCR Vocational Training Centre with a small delegation of CoR members. The centre was set up by the UNHCR, Turkey and the city of Ankara, and its chief objective is to develop refugees’ skills and integrate them into Turkish society. The vocational training is divided into four main sectors: the mechanical sector, the food sector, the textile sector and the information sector.

In order to foster integration and improve refugees’ ability to communicate, they study Turkish for three months before starting the vocational training course. Trainees who have taken Turkish language classes then follow the three-month vocational training course.