Prof. Dr. Yusuf Balcı was Re-elected as Member of the European Committee of Social Rights
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Istanbul Commerce University Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Yusuf Balcı was re-elected as a member of the European Committee for Social Rights for the period 2025-2030. Having held this position for 6 years, Prof. Dr. Balcı received the highest number of votes among 5 candidates in the voting held at the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
Prof Dr. Yusuf Balcı, Faculty Member of the Department of Economics in English, Faculty of Business Administration of our University, who has distinguished himself with his successful work for 6 years in the European Committee on Social Rights, which is one of the important oversight-supervisory bodies of the Council of Europe, was re-elected as a member of the European Committee on Social Rights in the 1st round by receiving the highest number of votes among 5 candidates as a result of the voting held in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe after being nominated by Turkey.
In a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was stated that Prof. Dr. Yusuf Balcı’s candidacy was supported by our country and we are pleased with his re-election. Prof. Dr. Balcı has also carried out important work for the protection and promotion of social rights and strengthening international cooperation.
WHAT IS THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF SOCIAL RIGHTS?
The European Committee of Social Rights is the most important independent supervisory body after the European Court of Human Rights, overseeing the implementation of the European Social Charter and promoting the protection of social rights. Prof. Dr. Yusuf Balcı’s re-election is also of great importance for Turkey’s position within the Council of Europe.
Prof. Dr. Yusuf Balcı
Prof. Dr. Yusuf Balcı graduated from Boğaziçi University Department of Economics as an honor student and then completed his master’s and doctorate at Istanbul University. Balcı, who worked as a visiting scholar at Temple University in the USA, worked as a faculty member at Istanbul University Faculty of Economics.
Balcı previously worked as Advisor to the Minister of Culture, Ministry of Labor and Social Security – Official Mediator, Economist at the Economic Policy and Strategic Planning Department of the Islamic Development Bank, President of the Turkish Patent Institute, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and Chief Advisor to the Prime Minister. He also worked in various positions such as chairmanship and membership in many important bodies such as the KOSGEB Executive Board. Prof. Dr. Balcı served as a member of the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organization, a founding board member of the European Patent Academy, and a member of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Coordination Board.
Balcı, who has many national and international studies, including 5 books, in the fields of Innovation, Banking, Industrial Policies, Industrial Property, Labor Economics and Social Policy, is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Turkish Commercial Bank and a faculty member at the Department of Economics, Faculty of Business Administration, Istanbul Commerce University.
Prof. Dr. Yusuf Balcı, who is fluent in English, is married and has 3 children.
