East Marmara Development Agency
| Doğu Marmara Kalkınma Ajansı | |
 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Kocaeli |
| Agency executives |
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| Website | http://en.marka.org.tr |
The East Marmara Development Agency is a sui generis public institution, vested with a special legal entity and responsible from the TR42 NUTS-2 Region consists of Kocaeli, Sakarya, Düzce, Bolu and Yalova provinces of the Republic of Turkey.
Its ExCom is made up of 20 high-ranking local administrators from East Marmara provinces including governors and mayors. MARKA, with a staff over 40 people, carries out mainly four core functions, i.e. leveraging local governance by promoting interactivity among local stakeholders, conducting regional planning in concert with provincial and national plans, funding promising projects in line with regional priorities outlined in regional plans as well as investment promotion (mainly inward). To meet these objectives MARKA works in close collaboration with its regional partners and other RDAs through networks as well as with central government.
MARKA is active in EU & International relations and vigorously strives to promote those of Regional stakeholders. To this end, MARKA has established an active Region-wide communication network and is an associate member of EURADA. Despite being a fairly young organization, since its inception MARKA has been taking part in a number of significant projects funded under EU programmes including FP7 Regions of Knowledge (InTraRegio Project), CIP ICT-PSP (OASIS Project), LLP and IPA. EMDA’s priorities for EU and international affairs.
Agency's Distinctive Features
- Acts as a private entity concerning the matters that are not governed by the respective legislation
- Acts as an intermediary to foster a structured partnership among state institutions, local authorities, private sector, NGOs, and universities.
- Carries out a coordinating and facilitating function rather than actually implementing project and programmes
- An organization that promotes decision-making processes through open dialogue
Modus Operandi
- Promoting streamlined and cohesive action among local stakeholders
- Regional planning, identifying regional potential and developing regional strategies
- Assisting institutional development at local authorities
- Project funding in accordance with regional strategies
- Promoting entrepreneurship
- International and local investor relations
Regional Planning
Preparation of the Regional Plans (or Regional Development Plans) in Turkey are in the responsibility of the State Planning Organisation(SPO) according to the 8th article of the development act of 3194. In this act, the regional plans are defined as "the plans designating the socio-economic development tendencies, the development potentials of the settlements, sectoral aims, activities and the distribution of infrastructure".
The East Marmara Regional Plan (or TR42 Nuts-2 Regional Plan) was prepared by the East Marmara Development Agency with the transference of the authority by the SPO. This plan is a strategic document prepared with high degrees of participation and with the usage of quantitative and qualitative researches.
The upper scale plans like 9th Development Plan and Sectoral Plans such as Tourism Strategy of Turkey - 2023 were considered within this plan.
Investment Support Offices
The Investment Support Offices are in responsible for the promotion of the business and investment climate of the region to domestic and international investors. All services of the ISO's are out of charge. The duties of the Kocaeli, Sakarya, Düzce, Bolu and Yalova Investment Support Offices are:
- Guiding and informing the investors about the legal processes and terms of applications.
- Processing the applications and business follow-up about the investments.
- Making preliminary surveys for the investments
- Following up the legal procedures and the authorization and/or permission processes according to the board decision and inheriting them to related authorities.
- Determining the possible problems and barriers of the investors and taking steps in solutions for those.
- Making promotions about investment opportunities of the provinces within national and global context.
- Determining investment support and promotion strategies in collaboration with the Prime Ministry Investment Support and Promotion Agency (ISPAT).
- Coordinating and supporting the international promotion and investment support activities of private and public organizations of the provinces.