New TUSIAD head calls for full-fledged democratic reform package

Turkey's European Union membership will boost the bloc's global competitive strength, confirming its nature as a regional power, said Umit Boyner, the recently elected head of the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen Association (TUSIAD), yesterday. Speaking at a press conference on TUSIAD's plans through next year, Boyner added, "The EU is moving towards a unified Europe with patience, but is facing some difficulties in overcoming its internal problems as well as achieving full economic integration. Thus, it needs Turkey to consolidate its competitive power on a global scale as well as to gain recognition as a regional power in real terms." Calling on all state institutions to work to strengthen democracy, Boyner underlined the need for a full-fledged constitutional reform package to bolster Turkish democracy and spread political reforms. Boyner called for a prioritized democratic reform package covering all of Turkey's democracy-related issues, adding that a partial democracy package intended as campaign fodder is not needed. "We're talking about a comprehensive democratic reform package that benefits all sectors of Turkish society," he explained. "We're talking about a new social contract that in essence, redefines relations between the state and its citizens, giving priority to the rights of citizens regardless of their ethnic or religious backgrounds." On TUSIAD's economic projections for this year, Boyner said, "Turkey's gross domestic product (GDP) may grow 5.9 percent in 2010 according to an optimistic macroeconomic scenario. Under a pessimistic scenario, GDP will grow only 1.4." To overcome high unemployment and achieve prosperity, sustainable, productivity-based growth is a must, said Boyner. He also stressed fiscal harmonization, the risks of reducing inflation, short-term external financing needs, and creating a liberalized energy market. On ongoing talks between the government and International Monetary Fund on a possible standby deal, Boyner said the main point in this context is how Turkey will meet its short-term financial budget deficit, which has soared due to the economic crisis.