European Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said on Oct. 13 that more work is needed to fully implement and modernize the Customs Union between Türkiye and the European Union, as Turkish business groups used a summit in Brussels to push for a broader trade framework and a clearer path to membership.
Šefčovič, the commissioner for trade and economic security, told the second EU-Türkiye Business Summit that the arrangement must be properly applied in all member states. He said modernizing it, including widening the preferential trade framework, could strengthen economic ties and lift trade and investment, according to Anadolu Agency.
He described value chain integration as a shared strategic goal and called Türkiye "a valued and close partner." He cited record trade in goods of more than 217 billion euros and services trade above 42 billion euros.
Business groups seek ‘fresh momentum’
The summit was organized by Türkiye’s Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) and the European Business Summit. DEİK President Nail Olpak said the current structure of the Customs Union, in place for more than three decades, "no longer meets today’s needs," and that an update could open cooperation in services, e-commerce, public procurement and agriculture.
Olpak also argued that Turkish-made goods should be treated as part of Europe’s industrial ecosystem under the EU’s proposed "Made in EU" rules, without new quotas or barriers.
Türkiye’s Permanent Delegate to the EU, Ambassador Yaprak Balkan, said the proposed Industrial Accelerator Act could clash with the Customs Union unless Türkiye is included from the outset. She put bilateral trade at about 207 billion euros last year, with automotive trade accounting for 54 billion euros, Daily Sabah reported.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said Türkiye could help Europe reduce strategic dependencies and backed modernizing the agreement.
Letter to Meloni
On the same day, DEİK’s Olpak, Mehmet Ali Yalçındağ, chair of the Türkiye-Europe Business Councils, and Lale Cander of the Türkiye-Italy Business Council published an open letter to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Corriere della Sera, backed by the heads of 26 business councils. It called on the EU to give Türkiye a clear membership perspective and said a modernized Customs Union would help Europe compete.
Trade Minister Ömer Bolat was in Brussels on Oct. 13-14 to co-chair the third Türkiye-EU High-Level Trade Dialogue with Šefčovič, with customs procedures, e-commerce and public procurement on the agenda.
Sources
- EU trade chief says ‘more work’ needed for full implementation, modernization of Türkiye-EU Customs Union
- Business world wants fresh momentum in Türkiye-EU engagement
- Turkish business leaders call for renewed EU accession push in letter to Italian Premier Meloni
Photo: Diego Delso / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
