ANKARA - Pre-accession Economic Program, which will be sent to EU Commission, is completed.
Institutions, which are monopolies in their sectors such as Turkish Airlines (THY), Turkish Oil Refineries Corp (Tupras) and Tobacco, Tobacco Products, Salt and Alcohol Enterprises (Tekel), are planned to be privatized until the end of year within the program.
Privatization is firstly taken up in structural reforms part of the program.
Privatization worth of 65.6 million U.S. dollars was fulfilled by completing selling and transfer procedures in January-July period of 2003. Privatization implementations of which selling and transfer procedures were completed and on the step of signing have reached 179.7 million dollars in this period.
The program envisages the approval of privatization strategy of Turk Telekom until October 31, 2003.
Electricity production and distribution facilities, which were taken within the scope of privatization, are expected to be taken privatization program until the end of 2003.
Turkey Sugar Factories are also planned to be taken in the program until the end of this year.
-CAPITAL MARKETS-
Activities to increase supply and demand in capital markets, make confidence in these markets permanent, further modernize the markets and to increase supervision activities in these markets will be speeded up in 2003-2006 period according to program.
Completing applications regarding individual retirement funds and periods regarding supervision systems are planned in 2003 within this scope.
The program targets to complete necessary preparations in 2003-2004 period to activate market for fixed term transactions, optional exchange and small and medium scale enterprises (SMSEs).
The notice which is prepared to provide full adjustment of Capital Market Board (SPK) accounting standards with EU regulations and international accounting standards are expected to be announced this year.
Activities to adjust regulation regarding capital markets with EU regulations are planned to be completed in 2003-2005 period.
-LABOR FORCE MARKETS-
Supports provided in the fields of training, finance of projects, organization, marketing and technology for SMSEs and individual entrepreneurs are envisaged to be increased within this scope.
While tender process of Active Employment Programs Project within the scope of Turkey-EU financial cooperation is completed, the project, which totally costs 50 million Euros, will be started in September, 2003.
The project, which aims to develop institutional capacity of Worker Health and Security Center and is accepted by EU Commission within financial cooperation, will be completed in 2005.
-ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM-
The program envisages the fulfillment of a comprehensive Public Administration Reform to form necessary legal and institutional atmosphere for presenting public services actively, transparently and in participation and things to be implemented are listed.
Public Administration Basic Law will be adopted and Reform of State Personnel Regime will be implemented.
Municipalities will be reconstructed in parallel with the principles and standards to be determined by central authority within the scope of Local Administrations Reform. According to that, municipalities will be modern administrative units which will take decisions on their own to meet local needs, which will find sources and which will implement their projects. Regional development agencies will be set up.
The Public Finance Administration and Supervision Law and legal regulations regarding the reconstruction of State Economic Enterprises (SEEs) are expected to be adopted in the year 2003.
-AGRICULTURAL AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT-
Reforms undertaken in the field of agriculture, and other agricultural programmes which will ensure economic stability and harmony with EU Common Agricultural Policies will be determined and implemented.
According to the programme, a national rural development strategy which will take into consideration the rural development policy of the EU, will be prepared.
-EDUCATION-
The programme underlines that the number of kindergartens for pre-school education will be increased to the ones in EU countries. The project of Supporting Basic Education financed by MEDA programme worth of 100 million Euros is planned to be undertaken between the years 2003-2007.
Another project financed by World Bank namely ''Basic Education Project'' aims to increase the number of primary schools throughout the country. A total of 225 million dollars was spent for the project (amounting upto 600 million Euros) as of July, 2003. The project is planned to be completed at the end of 2006.
Strengthening the Vocational Education and Training System in Turkey (SVET) project supported by EU is another project to be undertaken for secondary education. SVET is a five year project, result of an agreement signed between the European Commission and the government of Turkey, and has a total budget of 58.2 million Euros. The overall objective is to assist Turkey through the Ministry of National Education, in the process of modernization and adaptation of the Vocational Education and Training System to socio-economic needs of the country and to the principles of lifelong learning. The project is expected to be completed within five years.
In higher education, studies regarding the amendment of the Law on Higher Education are expected to finish by the end of the year.
-HOSPITALS TO BE GATHERED UNDER ONE STRUCTURE-
Within the scope of development of basic health services, there are reconstruction of Health Ministry, removing differences between state, insurance and institution hospitals and gathering all the hospitals under one structure.
The programme also aims to bring an autonomous structure to hospitals in administrative and financial respect and to encourage private sector to invest in field of health.
-TELECOM-TRANSPORTATION-
While the studies regarding supervision and liberating the telecommunication sector continue, preliminary studies also started to prepare a framework agreement on telecommunication. The studies are expected to finish at the end of the year.
In transportation sector, reconstruction of State Railroads is a main issue and that the bill on Railroads which was prepared last year, was revised by taking into consideration the EU laws.
-ENERGY-
While studies on privatization of electricity sector continue, regulations were prepared and put into force for providing various services in the natural gas sector.
Studies are underway for establishing electricity and natural gas connections with Southeast European countries.
Recalling that EU's financing the project of strengthening the institutional capacity of Energy Market Regulatory Board was accepted, the programme noted that the project was planned to start in October. The total budget of the project is 1,06 million Euros and 21,000 Euros of it will be financed by national sources.
This programme has been the third Pre-Accession Economic Programme which was prepared for the first time in 2001. After Higher Planning Board approves the programme, it will be submitted to Foreign Ministry. Foreign Ministry is expected to submit the programme to EU Commission on August 15.
(GC-Öª-AÖ) 12.08.2003