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Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat called on the European Union to ensure that its planned industrial legislation does not harm the partnership between Turkey and the bloc, including their customs union ties. Speaking to Anadolu Agency in Brussels after two days of talks with senior EU officials, Bolat said the deep integration between Turkish and European industry must be taken into account in the debate over the EU's proposed Industrial Accelerator Act.

Bolat took part in the third Turkey-EU High-Level Trade Dialogue, which lasted about five hours, and attended a Turkey-EU Business Summit organised with DEIK and the European Business Summit. He also met executives of major automotive firms, Belgian business representatives, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot, European Commission members and European Parliament officials.

Citing more than 60,000 European companies operating in Turkey with over 200 billion dollars in investment, annual Turkey-EU trade of 233 billion dollars and 62 billion dollars in automotive trade, Bolat said both sides need an outcome that preserves the customs union partnership. He noted the EU is concerned about subsidised industrial imports from third countries and said the Industrial Accelerator Act emerged from that context, with heated debates continuing in the Council and Parliament.

Key Takeaways

• Bolat urged the EU to protect Turkey-EU industrial integration and customs union ties in the Industrial Accelerator Act debate.
• Annual Turkey-EU trade stands at 233 billion dollars, while automotive trade reaches 62 billion dollars, he said.
• Bolat held talks with EU institutions, Belgian officials and automotive executives during a two-day Brussels visit.