Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

TOBB Board Member Cengiz Günay, who delivered the opening speech, stated that there is not a single cause of the mucilage problem and therefore the problem should be addressed with a holistic approach and that sectors such as tourism, fishing and sea transportation have especially been negatively affected by the process.

Günay stated that the industry is stuck in Marmara region, underlining that the concentration in the region should be extended to new regions such as Central Anatolia and that the Marmara region should be positioned as a high-tech region.

Cengiz Günay told the Commissioners that one of the important steps to be taken to solve the mucilage problem is the environmental transformation of existing industrial facilities in the region, and that public resources should be allocated to projects that promote more environmental and green production in order to finance this transformation. In the medium term, he added, treatment systems need to be converted into advanced biological treatment.

Addressing the ratification of the Paris Climate Agreement and the European Green Deal in his opening speech, the TOBB Board Member concluded his remarks by stating that the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey is always ready to cooperate with universities and related institutions and organizations as the umbrella organization of the Turkish business world.

Head of sectors and Entrepreneurship Department A. Saygın Baban also conveyed the magnitude of sectoral concentration in Marmara Region with numerical data.

Noting the role of the provinces in the region in national income and exports, Baban stated that turning Central Anatolia into the second Marmara region would relieve the industrial congestion in the Marmara Region.

Stating that the design of support and conversion programs for wastewater treatment plants will be essential for the solution, Baban stated that the legislative work that has accelerated due to the regulations brought by the Green Deal should continue.

After the presentation of Saygın Baban, TEPAV Project Manager Yakup Peker explained the projects made by TEPAV and talked about the structure of these projects that will shed light on the solution of the mucilage problem.