Turkey is concerned about the rise of global protectionism that threatens its trade, investment and the automotive industry, and is stepping up its contacts with the EU to start long-awaited negotiations to modernize the existing customs union. This was announced by Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat to Anadolu Agency.
The minister said that during a two-day visit to Brussels, he led a delegation of representatives of the Ministry of Trade and the private sector and held meetings with several European commissioners, MEPs, the leadership of the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), key players in the European market and representatives of large business organizations.
Bolat reiterated that “the EU is the most important export market for Turkey, and Turkey is the EU's fifth largest trading partner“. According to him, Turkey's customs union agreement with the EU “has been in force for almost three decades“ and thanks to it, economic ties between Turkey and the EU have reached “unprecedented levels“: in 2025, trade turnover amounted to $233 billion, of which approximately $62 billion was in the automotive industry.
The minister stressed that there is now “both a firm commitment and an urgent need to start negotiations“ to update the agreement. “The winds of protectionism are blowing all over the world . We are following these processes closely“, Bolat said. He noted the rapid growth of imports from East Asia, changes in US trade policy and the EU's own industrial initiatives, including the Industrial Acceleration Act and the "Made in the EU" programme.
However, due to objections from several EU member states, the negotiation process, he said, had not yet started.