Parliament passed a legislative package on July 19 that enables mining in olive groves, triggering protests from opposition parties, locals, and environmental groups.
The bill, which the AKP says is to address Turkey’s energy needs, passed with 255 votes in favor and 199 against.
The most controversial clause, Article 11, allows energy-related mining in olive-growing areas “in harmony with nature.” Following protests, the article was slightly amended: companies will now be required to plant new olive trees totaling at least twice the number of both relocated and immovable trees. However, experts and environmental groups warn that replanting does not compensate for the loss of the delicate ecosystem that centuries-old olive groves represent.
The law also allows firms to lease seized olive groves from landowners through direct state allocation for 20-year terms, renewable by a decade. The land rent is set at 1% of the title value defined by property tax regulations.
FIERCE PARLIAMENTARY CLASHES
During the bill’s debate, CHP and DEM Party deputies staged a sit-in at the podium demanding the proposal’s withdrawal.
CHP MP Tahsin Ocaklı led the protest, which resulted in Deputy Speaker Tekin Bingöl adjourning the session twice. At one point, AKP MP Ruken Kilerci physically approached DEM MP Perihan Koca while she was filming the protest, triggering a brief altercation.
VILLAGE RESISTANCE, HUNGER STRIKES
Outside the parliament, villagers and environmentalists held a vigil at Cemal Süreya Park and staged a hunger strike after failing to make their voices heard.
Despite heavy rain, protesters staged a sit-in at the Parliament’s Dikmen Gate. Environmental organizations such as TEMA and platforms like İkizköy Direniyor warned the law could lead to displacement in dozens of villages and the destruction of unique ecosystems.
ACCUSATIONS OF CORPORATE INFLUENCE
CHP Deputy Chair Deniz Yavuzyılmaz and MP Murat Emir accused the government of acting in the interest of the mining companies Limak, İçtaş, and Aydem, naming them as beneficiaries of what they called a “massacre of olives.”
The CHP’s Ali Mahir Başarır stated, “The Grand National Assembly has become the CEO of five corporations,” vowing to resist the bill’s implementation.
WHAT THE LAW ENTAILS
The legislation simplifies permit procedures for renewable energy investments and grants fast-track privileges to so-called “strategic” mines. Public institutions that fail to issue an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) opinion within three months will be deemed to have approved the project. If agencies disagree, a presidential committee will make the final decision.
In addition to allowing mining in olive groves, the law permits 24-month free permits in state forests for qualifying mining companies and introduces minimum production obligations for license-holders. Failure to meet quotas could result in license cancellations.
RISKS TO FOOD AND WATER SECURITY
Critics argue that mining operations will jeopardize agricultural land, water sources, and food production.
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Turkey Director Ömür Kula warned that the law violates international conventions and Turkey’s constitutional right to a healthy environment. “Olive groves are not just trees. They are entire ecosystems with air, water, birds, and insects developed over centuries,” she said.
Head of Doğa Association Dicle Tuba Kılıç said the law would not only impact villagers but also urban residents, as it threatens access to clean water and food. Citing figures that over 13% of Turkey’s clean water is already used in mining operations, she added: “The coming crisis is not hypothetical—it’s unfolding now.”
LEGAL PATHS AHEAD
While the law was passed in Parliament, it had not been signed by the president or published in the Official Gazette at the time of writing. Ege Environmental and Cultural Platform’s Arif Ali Cangı noted that the president may still return the bill for reconsideration.
Cangı and Kula both pointed to 2019 when President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vetoed a law extending the pollution license of coal-fired plants.
If enacted, the new law will face challenges before the Constitutional Court from the CHP.
