Busy week ahead at the Turkish Parliament: MIT Chief İbrahim Kalın to present at the 'opening' commission

The Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) will have a busy schedule this week in both committees and the General Assembly. In the General Assembly, deliberations will continue on the Draft Law on Amendments to the Foundations Law and Certain Other Laws.

The proposal in question is being criticized by opposition parties for posing risks regarding "property rights, the principle of equality, freedom to seek legal remedies, administrative transparency, and the rule of law." Assessments suggest that the proposal envisions the transfer of cultural assets owned by municipalities to the General Directorate of Foundations and that these areas could be "opened up to pro-government foundations."

19-ARTICLE OMNIBUS BILL

The proposal, consisting of a total of 19 articles, includes amendments to 11 separate laws. Within this scope, according to the regulation to be made in the Law on Travel Agencies and the Association of Travel Agencies, annual dues will not be collected this year from travel agencies operating in Adana, Adıyaman, Batman, Bingöl, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Kayseri, Kilis, Malatya, Mardin, Niğde, Osmaniye, Şanlıurfa, and Tunceli, which were affected by the February 6, 2023 earthquakes. Outstanding dues from previous years will also be considered waived without the need for any further processing.

REGULATION ON CULTURAL REVENUES

With the amendment to be made to the Ministry of Culture Revolving Fund Law, revenues from sponsorships, support, and naming rights obtained from museums, archaeological sites, cultural centers, and similar event venues will be included in the revolving fund revenues. These revenues will be used for the restoration of cultural assets, inventory studies, and the financing of new events.

IDENTITY REPORTING OBLIGATION

With the regulation to be made in the Identity Reporting Law, an identity reporting obligation will be introduced for those operating marinas, ports, and coastal facilities, as well as those renting out ships and maritime tourism vehicles.

PARTY GROUP MEETINGS

Party groups will also hold their meetings at the TBMM this week.

The AKP's first group meeting after a long break will be held on Wednesday, November 5. This will be the first time the AKP group has met since the Parliament opened on October 1.

On Tuesday, the CHP, DEM Party, and MHP, and on Wednesday, the IYI Party and the New Way Party (Yeni Yol Partisi) will hold their group meetings.

BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE

In the Planning and Budget Committee, the 2026 budget proposals of ministries and public institutions will continue to be discussed. The negotiations, which began last week with the general budget framework, will continue this week with the budgets of four ministries.

The committee schedule will be as follows:

• Tuesday, November 4: Ministry of Industry and Technology
• Wednesday, November 5: Ministry of Trade
• Thursday, November 6: Ministry of Treasury and Finance
• Friday, November 7: Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources

In these meetings, the final accounts and Court of Accounts reports will also be addressed along with the 2026 budgets of the ministries.

AGENDA OF THE 'OPENING' COMMISSION

The National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy Commission, where Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan and Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç made presentations last week, is expected to hold its 17th meeting this week.

MIT Chief İbrahim Kalın will make a presentation to the deputies at the meeting, for which the date has not yet been finalized.

News Source: 12punto