Reports

The International Energy Agency's periodic review of Turkey's energy policies and programmes.  This 2009 edition finds that Turkey will likely see the fastest medium to long-term growth in energy demand among the IEA member countries. It has a young and urbanising population and energy use is still comparatively low. Therefore, ensuring sufficient energy supply to a growing economy remains the government’s main energy policy concern. Turkey has also progressed significantly in all other areas of energy policy over the past few years. Large investments in energy infrastructure, especially in electricity and natural gas, are needed to avoid bottlenecks in supply and to sustain rapid economic growth. To attract that investment, the country needs to continue reforming its energy market. Power sector reform is well under way, but in the natural gas sector reform has been slower and needs to be accelerated. Improving energy efficiency is essential for responding to Turkey’s energy policy challenges, and considerable potential remains in all sectors. In a country where private cars are rapidly becoming more common and where significant new construction is foreseen, transport and buildings merit particular long-term attention from the decision makers. Energy-related CO2 emissions have more than doubled since 1990 and are likely to continue to increase rapidly over the medium and long term, in parallel with energy demand. The IEA urges Turkey to intensify efforts to further develop its approach concerning its post-2012 regime to combat climate change, and to consider setting a quantitative overall target for limiting emissions.  This review analyses the broad range of energy challenges facing Turkey and provides critiques and recommendations for further policy improvements.   

Turkey’s continuing economic expansion depends on the diversification of its transport modes and especially on the development of efficient multimodal services. Its role as a hub for Europe, Asia, and the Middle East and as a facilitator of global exchange will be enhanced with a strategy and measures to support a range of intermodal logistic and transport services. This work analyses the current situation and sets forth some of the actions and policies needed to stimulate the development of a truly multimodal transport system.

This comprehensive review of Turkey's health care system shows that health status has improved rapidly in Turkey in recent decades, partly as a result of higher health spending. It describes the introduction of an ambitious Health Transformation Programme in 2003 which brought universal health insurance to Turkey in 2008 and has begun the process of public hospital reforms and the rolling out of family-practitioner services throughout the country. Challenges remain, however, including completing the Health Transformation Programme and ensuring that the new health system provides value for money and stays affordable. This report analyses these challenges and sets out policy suggestions aimed at addressing them.