On Monday 17 November, at the EU-Turkiye Business Summit in Brussels, the Turkish Trade Minister, Ömer Bolat, and the European Commission’s Director-General for Enlargement Negotiations and Neighbourhood Policy, Gert Jan Koopman, called for closer relations between the EU and Turkey, particularly in the area of trade.
Mr Koopman described the relationship as “promising”, but “also complex”, notably because of the relationship between Turkey and Cyprus, but also because of the state of the rule of law in the country.
Mr Bolat insisted on the modernisation of the Customs Union, in place since 1995. “After three decades, global trade realities have evolved and the current framework no longer fully reflects these new dynamics. The modernization of the Customs Union has therefore become essential for both sides”, he explained, calling for the scope of application to be extended to services, digital trade, the ecological transition, international investment and regulatory cooperation.
He called for this “purely economic” agenda to be protected from unrelated political considerations. “Constructive dialogue and progress towards the resumption of negotiations on the Cyprus question will enable us to work towards this modernisation”, said Mr Koopman.
The Commission representative also recalled “the challenges affecting the predictability and credibility of the business environment”, calling on Turkey to respect the highest democratic standards and to be very vigilant with regard to the rule of law. “Respect for the rule of law is [...] crucial, even fundamental to the business environment, and a key factor in attracting more foreign investment”, he added.
“We are committed to ensuring full legal predictability and transparency in our regulatory framework, especially for foreign direct investments”, the Minister sought to reassure.
Mr Bolat also called for closer defence cooperation. “As a vital NATO ally with robust defense industrial expertise and very strong army, we believe that Turkey can significantly contribute to European Union’s defense resilience and capability development”, he explained, calling for Turkish companies to be included in joint procurement projects under the SAFE initiative. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)