28-29 June 2022
The city of Izmir comes to Brussels to open a House of Izmir in Brussels to better contribute to European inter-city collaboration. Bringing its best chef to Brussels, Izmir will host an Ecological Gastronomy Reception, offering the special tastes of Anatolia along with a breeze of the Aegean Sea. During this visit to Brussels, Mr. Tunç Soyer, Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, will be addressing Members in the European Parliament, as well as Members in the European Committee of the Regions.
Izmir, the third largest city in Turkey, is a Mediterranean port city with 4.5 million inhabitants. The city has 8500 years of historical heritages from many diverse cultures. It is the birthplace of Homer, the great poet of Odyssey and Iliad fame. The city has always been a portal opening to Europe and the Mediterranean.
Izmir consistently promotes the common principles and values that underlie life in Europe: freedom, democracy, equality and the rule of law. In this respect, Izmir has been awarded with the 2022 Europe Prize, which is the highest level of the Prize awarded each year by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to the town most active in promoting the European ideal.
Working with the vision of offering a cleaner and sustainable environment to future generations, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality has completed the Izmir Green City Action Plan and Izmir Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan.
Izmir has been recently selected by the EU for the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission. This will enable Izmir to engage with the EU, as well as national and local authorities through an overall plan for climate neutrality across all sectors such as energy, buildings, waste management and transport, together with related investment plans.
Mayor Soyer, among other international titles, is the member of Executive Bureau in the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the member of the Global Executive Committee of ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, and the member of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) Executive Bureau and World Council.
As a city promoting the European ideals and working towards the EU climate-neutral and smart cities mission, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality will hold the Ecological Gastronomy Reception in Brussels at the Esplanade of the European Parliament to promote Terra Madre Anatolia Izmir 2022.
Terra Madre, a project of Slow Food International, is a network focusing on supporting small-scale producers. Every two years, Terra Madre Gastronomy Fair takes place in Turin, Italy as a major international event bringing together local producers and all the relevant stakeholders. Terra Madre Anatolia will take place within the scope of the 91st Izmir International Fair which is Turkey’s oldest, most comprehensive, most glorious, and first international fair.
Event Details for 28-29 June 2022 in Brussels:
1st Event: Inauguration of the House of Izmir in Brussels on Tuesday, 28 June 2022 at 12.00 at Renewable Energy House, Rue d’Arlon 63-67
2nd Event: Ecological Gastronomy Reception on Terra Madre Anatolia Izmir 2022 on Wednesday, 29 June 2022 at 13.00 at Esplanade “Solidarnosc 1980” of the European Parliament