Facility of sustainability within the framework of the European green deal: The case of Thrace

The European Green Deal is an action plan announced by the European Commission in 2019 to tackle climate change, reduce pollution and use natural resources sustainably. This action plan is not limited to European Union Member States, but also establishes a roadmap for Turkey-EU relations on behalf of the Sustainability Facility. Based on the opening of the Turkish settlement, the goals should be measured as closely as possible. As an initial step, this thesis aims to demonstrate the development of the Thracian region in line with the goals and actions of European Green Deal. As a result of the semi-structured interview technique with 15 experts and managers from public state institutions in 3 provinces in the region, it has been determined that the projects made in the region are very limited and are compatible with a very small part of the Green Deal targets. This thesis is important in that it offers a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach that incorporates political, economic and legal perspectives. Furthermore, the uniqueness of this study is the inventory of Thracian regional level public institutions within the framework of the European Green Deal Goals and Measures. Clearly, this study could be a step towards future studies with larger samples. This effort can contribute positively to the development of both the Sustainability Facility and Turkey-EU relations. Key Words: European Green Deal, Sustainability, Sustainable Development, Thrace Region, European Union