UCWEP Europe Coordinator İbrahim Dankuş runs for the Brussels regional parliament

Our UCWEP Europe Coordinator İbrahim Dankuş, who came to Brussels when he was 3 years old and has undertaken important commercial projects and who sees it as his duty to respond to every problem of the Turkish society, became a Brussels Region Deputy candidate from the TEAM FOUAD AHIDAR Party.

İbrahim Dankuş, one of the founders of UCWEP, Brussels Representative and European Coordinator, who was nominated as the 13th candidate in the preferential ballot from the Brussels Region Team Fouad Ahıdar Party, expressed his feelings as follows:

I have had many experiences in my 30-year entrepreneurial journey. I am a graduate of ULB with specialization in architectural drawing and technique. While operating in the telecommunications sector, I also worked as a regional general manager in the commercial distribution areas of CİNE5, TELEON, DİGİTÜRK, TPS, CANAL+ to Belgium.

These experiences improved me further and aroused in me the desire to fight on behalf of small business owners and other segments that form the basis of the Belgian economy.

I saw that there was insufficient political representation of citizens of Turkish origin. This situation was due to factors such as the inadequate policies of political parties towards immigrants and the low participation of immigrants in the political process.

The most important issue is that Islamophobia is common in the Brussels Region and this situation also negatively affects citizens of Turkish origin. This situation manifests itself in forms such as hate speech and violent incidents. Therefore, it forms the basis of social unrest.

The Belgian government’s policies towards immigrants create some difficulties for citizens of Turkish origin. These policies may include strict rules on issues such as family reunification and work permits.

Lack of language is one of the biggest obstacles that makes it difficult for citizens of Turkish origin to integrate into Belgian society. This situation creates difficulties in accessing education and job opportunities. I want to lead the way in solving language problems with a planned education policy.

Citizens of Turkish origin may have difficulty preserving their cultural identity. This situation arises from the difficulty in finding the balance between integrating into Belgian society and maintaining one’s own cultural values. I believed that it was necessary to find political solutions to these issues.

Laws and policies must be developed and implemented to combat racism and xenophobia. More efforts must be made to prevent hate speech and crimes against immigrants. I will also work on this issue.

Language Education

Immigrants should be offered free or low-cost language courses to learn French and Dutch. This will make it easier for them to integrate into society and find employment.

Affordable and quality housing opportunities should be created for immigrants. This can be done in a variety of ways, such as social housing projects and special housing programs for immigrants. I want to implement these projects.

Business Opportunities

Programs should be developed and implemented to facilitate immigrants’ access to the labor market. These programs may include elements such as on-the-job training programs, language training, and employment assistance. We continue to work on this issue.

Social Integration

Programs should be developed to encourage immigrants to interact with local people and feel like part of society. We plan to implement these programs to include elements such as cultural events, sports programs and language exchange programs.

There is a good team in TEAM FOUAD AHIDAR party. I believe that we can achieve successful work with good staff, especially the party leader. I think that Brussels voters can vote for this good team with peace of mind. We will go to everyone and explain our projects and ask for their votes for a better life and development. In the end, the winner will be Brussels.

I also had the opportunity to do important work as the European Coordinator of UCWEP, which is headquartered in Istanbul and operates as an important non-governmental organization in Türkiye. I will use all my experiences for everyone living in Brussels.

Kadir Duran, the only Turkish candidate for the Federal Parliament from the Team Fouad Ahıdar Party from the Brussels Region, was also nominated as a candidate. Born in Brussels/Saint Josse in 1972, Duran is from a family that originally immigrated to Belgium from Afyonkarahisar.

As UCWEP, we congratulate Brussels Region Deputy Candidate İbrahim Dankuş and Federal Deputy Candidate Kadir Duran and wish them continued success.