About the Town Twinning Tool

Town Twinning between Turkey and the European Union (TWIN) Project was developed and implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Directorate for EU Affairs (DEUA).

Alongside the DEUA as the Beneficiary, the key stakeholders of the Project consist of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation, Directorate-General for Local Authorities (MoEU-DGLA), the Union of Municipalities of Turkey (UMT), and the Union of Provinces (UP). The Central Finance and Contracts Unit (CFCU) is the Contracting Authority of the Project.

The overall objective of the project is to increase administrative capacity at local level in Turkey’s EU Accession process, whereas the purpose of the project is to create sustainable structures for exchange between local authorities in Turkey and EU Member States in areas relevant for EU Accession.

The activities to be conducted during the 2-year implementation period (until April 2020) focus on the following four main areas:

1. Improving the capacity of key institutions for town twinnings with the EU, and preparing a road map to give guidance for further structural improvements.

2. Sustaining the relations with key partners in the EU and Turkey for town twinning, including through strengthened networking structures.

3. Improving the capacity of Turkish local authorities in areas relevant for EU accession and disseminating best practices.

4. Increasing the quantity and quality of town twinnings involving Turkish local authorities, including effective promotion and involvement of key stakeholders such as civil society and citizens at local level.

The project encompasses two components, whereas the first component focuses on the technical assistance for the implementation of the Grant Scheme, and the second focuses on capacity building activities. Component 1 is related to the provision of technical assistance to the implementation of the Grant Scheme, under which local authorities from Turkey and the EU will implement town twinning projects together as beneficiary and co-beneficiary. Component 2, primarily focusing on capacity building activities, comprises a series of analyses, evaluation and training activities in the areas of town twinning and EU acquis.

Detailed and updated information on the activities conducted under the project are provided in the “Yerelde AB” website (www.yereldeAB.org.tr) which constitutes the main source of reference in the Internet in relation to the activities toward harmonising with the EU at the local level.

 

Contents of the Town Twinning Tool

The Town Twinning Tool was developed in close consultation with the Union of Municipalities of Turkey (UMT), and developed in such a manner that it was harmonised with the relevant contents in the website of the UMT.

The Tool is designed as to provide a broad spectrum of relevant information in relation to the applicant local authority, including its type, population and geographical location, its historical/natural/geographical characteristics, themes and purpose of twinning, previous and current twinning (sister city) arrangements, general information on the city/town etc.

The Town Twinning Tool also includes information on the institutions that are directly responsible for implementation of town twinning initiatives in Turkey, as well as on the main umbrella institutions promoting town twinning in the EU context.

 

How to use the Town Twinning Tool

The Town Twinning Tool may be effectively utilised by local authorities intending to register their information in the database of the Tool, as well as by local authorities that are seeking a suitable partner via the respective database.

 

Registering your information in the database

Local authorities that are interested in registering their information in the database of the Town Twinning Tool may easily do so by taking the following steps:

• Click “Country”; choose the relevant country from the list of EU countries and Turkey

• Click “Type of Local Authority”; select the relevant type for your local authority from the list of the types of local authorities.

• Click “Geographical Location”; select your province from the menu and type the required information.

• Click “Number of Inhabitants”; select the population range of your local authority from the menu.

• Click “Themes for Town Twinning”; select your priority theme(s) from the list of themes identified for town twinning.

• Click “Current/Previous Sister Cities”; type relevant information on both your current/active sister cities, as well as previous ones that are not currently active.

• Click “Historical/natural/geographical characteristics”; select the outstanding historical, natural and/or geographical characteristics of your local authority from the menu.

• Click “Socio-economic characteristics”; select the outstanding socio-economic characteristics of your local authority from the menu.

 

Searching a partner in the database

Regardless of whether you have previously registered the information of your local authority in the database, you can search for a partner via the existing database in the Town Twinning Tool.

To this purpose, simply click SEARCH FOR A PARTNER button at the bottom of the Main Page.

Decide on your priority criteria that you seek in your partner and click the respective button that will lead to the local authorities registered in the Tool whose pertinent information corresponds to the criteria that you have selected.

Example: If you seek a coastal town with a population of around 30.000 that is specialised in eco-tourism, selection of multiple criteria from the menu will lead to the pool of towns that match your preferences.