Cotance president Herman Hulshof invited Turgut Kosar, president of TLIA, to the recent Brussels council meeting where he applied for associate membership for the Turkish Leather Industry Association.

TLIA is the sole representative body for the Turkish leather industry. Affiliated tanners have to comply with strict environmental and social standards Kosar told the meeting.

Türkiye is an EU accession candidate country benefiting from the same status as Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs). Full membership in Cotance, including voting rights, occurs eventually when member state status is achieved by the candidate.

The assembly general meeting will take place on June 16, 2001.