Collaboration of Key Stakeholders in Drafting Economic Reform Program Is Crucial
Ms. Funda Bozkurt works as Strategy and Budget Expert at the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey. Her motivation to join several learning initiatives, delivered as part of the EU funded multi-country project “Strengthening Line Ministries’ Capacities to Assess Fiscal Implications of Structural Reforms” (FISR), is directly linked to her work as she is also the member of the team that coordinates the preparation of the Economic Reform Program (ERP) in Turkey. In this role, Ms. Bozkurt contributes to drafting the ERP and other national economic policy documents. Here are some reflections that she shared about attending a recent online learning course which was aimed at developing capacities of institutions involved in ERP preparation to identify the actions needed for adequate integration of structural reform measures within the medium-term fiscal framework of a country.
“I participated at the CEF online learning activity “Integration of Structural Reforms into Budgets: Turkey”, held on 3–12 June 2020.
Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, we had to organize this activity online instead of a face-to-face meeting. It was a good opportunity to contribute to such a well-functioning online activity. We heard different opinions of the representatives of line ministries, including also their struggles with COVID-19. Thanks to country case studies, I had a chance to assess the experience of Albania. It was like looking into a mirror: we have been facing the same challenges and the same solutions regarding improving the integration of structural reforms into the budget.
I noticed that the main challenge is coordination/collaboration issues. Thus, increasing the communication channels (additional technical networking activities, if possible) to meet colleagues online can be an effective tool for improving the integration of structural reforms into all public documents.
The CEF online training course highlighted the key challenges of our structural reform agenda on the ERP. It encouraged me to improve the process and share relevant information to the authorized officials in Turkey. Me and my colleagues are eager to improve the policy-making process in the best way. I would like to thank the CEF for providing us with an appropriate learning environment.”