The launch event of European Mobility Week (EMW) was hosted in Ankara by the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye (UMT) and Mayor of İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Ekrem İmamoğlu.
UMT has been the national coordinator of European Mobility Week since 2018. This year's Launch Event was held at the UMT headquarters with the participation of public institutions and members of the press.
The opening speeches of the event were delivered by UMT President and Mayor of İstanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu, Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Türkiye, Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, and Director General for EU and Foreign Relations at the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Burak Aykan.
Expressing his satisfaction that the first event during his tenure as UMT President was EMW, Presindet İmamoğlu said, "I am proud to announce such an important issue to Türkiye under the roof of UMT. I hope we can take valuable steps towards achieving strong local governance in Türkiye, establishing a democratic era where society is happy in cities, and working diligently with our team, mayors, and administrations.” President İmamoğlu also thanked the presidents, mayors, and executive board members who served under UMT before him.
Highlighting the intense interest of Turkish municipalities in EMW, President İmamoğlu stated that UMT has supported all municipalities within the scope of EMW so far and will continue to provide even stronger support this year. İmamoğlu emphasized that, thanks to UMT’s efforts, there has been a significant increase in the number of municipalities from Türkiye participating in EMW in recent years. “In this regard, we are a country with strong success in Europe. This year, we will focus on the theme of shared public spaces and how to share public spaces more efficiently and equitably. The concept of public space is very valuable in cities. It allows people to experience the freedom and tangibility of the city at a very high level. We should be the leaders who operate on the principle that 'Every citizen has the right to live in a city where public transport is encouraged, cycling is accessible, and the city is clean, quiet, and safe.' To offer our citizens a quality of life worthy of them, we must make public spaces more accessible and usable, thereby strengthening social cohesion and solidarity in all our cities. The desired impact of sustainable urban mobility plans can only be achieved if all our citizens feel and embrace this.”
Head of EU Delegation to Türkiye, Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, began his speech by congratulating İmamoğlu on his election as UMT President. He said that the EU Delegation has always established strong collaborations with UMT and İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality. Ambassador Meyer-Landrut recalled their cooperation with İstanbul on sustainable urban mobility plans and carbon-neutral maritime activities, stating that they see EMW not just as a week of awareness but as an event that will change citizens' behavior throughout the year. In his speech, Ambassador Meyer-Landrut touched on issues such as global warming, traffic congestion, the importance of promoting public transport, and reducing carbon emissions, calling on all stakeholders to turn EMW into a success story once again this year.
Director General for EU and Foreign Relations at the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Burak Aykan, emphasized that the Ministry aims to enhance stakeholders' knowledge, skills, and experiences in sustainable urban mobility through the EU Support Project for Sustainable Urban Mobility in Cities (SKUP). Aykan stated “We must encourage a transition from individual transportation to sustainable, accessible, and inclusive urban mobility forms both nationally and locally,” Also highlighted that the Ministry supports all related efforts, including the construction of urban transport projects under the responsibility of municipalities. Aykan pointed out that Türkiye achieved first place worldwide in EMW in 2023 with the participation of 670 municipal and district municipalities and aims to achieve new awards in 2024 by increasing the number of permanent projects.
The event concluded with a commemorative photo.