08/07/2024 (Agence Europe) – The first high-level dialogue on trade between the EU and Turkey was held on Monday 8 July in Brussels between the European Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, and the Turkish Trade Minister, Ömer Bolat. The EU’s objective is to find solutions to the trade barriers that exist in Turkey for European products. The EU has already taken Turkey to the World Trade Organization over discrimination against its pharmaceutical products on the Turkish market, for example. Another important subject for the European side discussed at the meeting was the Customs Union. The EU believes that it needs to be modernised, and it also wants the Customs Union to serve as a means of preventing the circumvention of European sanctions against other third countries. Work between the two parties is expected to continue on this and other issues. (LM)