On June 24-27, 2010, the third European Young Leaders Forum brought together European leaders from all sectors of society to discuss the topic of Social Cohesion in Complex Environments - The Example of Turkey in Istanbul. The Forum started off dealing with Turkey's contemporary and seemingly contradictory socio-political and foreign policy developments and the country's current status on its road to EU membership. As a rapidly growing global megacity and a hub between Asia and Europe, Istanbul at the same time was a more than appropriate location to deal with issues of social cohesion.

During the Welcome Dinner, the inspired call for Turkey's EU admission by Egemen Bağis, Turkey's Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator, laid the foundation for the panel discussions on the following day. According to Bağis, both the EU and Turkey would only stand to gain from Turkey's EU membership. Mehmet Ali Birand, editor-in-chief of CNN Turk and anchor and news head of KanalD, also finished his presentation with the words that the EU might one day regret not having admitted Turkey. These statements were intensely challenged by the participants. During the second panel on urban development, which also led to a lively discussion, the participants gained a clear understanding of the dramatic consequences that Istanbul's current urban development policy might have for the city's historic neighborhoods and social cohesion.
The panel discussions were followed by five field trips to Istanbul organizations and institutions that work towards social cohesion. Besides three NGOs that work with socially disadvantaged children, handicapped people, and women, the participants also visited the Dogan Media Group and the district administration of Kadiköy. The field trips not only provided the participants with impressive insights into these local initiatives but also with many ideas and inspiration for their own activities, their own work and their own countries. Finally, the workshops on Saturday asked the participants to get involved personally by dealing with the particular challenges of four organizations leading to a cross-sectoral dialogue and transfer of competencies.

The Forum thus went from discussion to experience to action, in line with its aim to have a long-term impact on the participants' own contributions to social cohesion. The BMW Foundation will continue to serve as a platform for further activities along these lines.

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