The second period of IPA (2014-2020), a sectoral perspective came to the fore in the design of projects and the funding system, and the “civil society” field was accepted as a separate “sector” within the financial support framework.

“Civil Society Dialogue V Between the EU and Türkiye” also stood out as the first Dialogue grant programme under the Civil Society Sector. During this period, the Directorate for EU Affairs (DEUA), which was positioned as the leading organisation in activities on the civil society sector during the design process of the programme, organised consultation meetings and determined a strategy directly addressing the needs of civil society, academia, and public institutions in this field. In this context, a systematic perspective was developed for all actors of the civil society sector, and activities began to be carried out to develop the civil society sector within the scope of priorities shaped by the opinions of stakeholders.

While the grant components were being designed in the previous phase of CSD, priority topics in terms of Türkiye-EU relations were highlighted. While emphasis was placed on the prominent chapters in the EU acquis in the previous phases of the Programme, the fifth phase  of the Dialogue, implemented in 2019-2020, was expanded to cover all chapters on which Türkiye-EU negotiations were carried out. Thus, CSOs in Türkiye and EU countries had the opportunity to develop dialogue in a wide range of areas. 632 CSOs participated in 25 networks/platforms established with the projects supported within the scope of CSD V. More than 40,000 people participated in over 500 events held in Türkiye and EU countries.

40 projects were supported with 6.9 million euros. While the supported projects focused on the themes of dialogue development and cooperation, they also carried out activities on social issues for disadvantaged groups such as the disabled, the elderly and refugees. The projects were implemented in areas such as gender equality, education, health, agriculture, food, and environment.

As part of the Programme’s visibility efforts, short films introducing the highlights of CSD V projects were produced.

The CSD V compendium can be accessed here.