Minister Bolat discussed Türkiye’s participation in EU industrial policies in Brussels

Türkiye’s Trade Minister Ömer Bolat held talks in Brussels with Belgian and European Union officials on including Türkiye in the bloc’s new industrial policies and protecting production chains built on the Customs Union. Bolat said the goal was to increase trade with Belgium from more than $9.2 billion in 2025 to $15 billion.

Türkiye’s Trade Minister Ömer Bolat held talks in Brussels with Belgian and European Union officials and representatives of automotive companies. The discussions covered expectations for including Türkiye in the EU’s new industrial policies and protecting the production and supply chains established on the basis of the Customs Union.

During his meeting with Teresa Ribera, the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Bolat discussed Türkiye-EU economic and trade relations, the EU’s competitiveness and economic security agenda, the green transition and the impact of new industrial policies on economic integration.

Bolat said the EU’s new industrial and competitiveness policies should be shaped through an inclusive approach that takes into account the production and supply chains established on the basis of the Customs Union. Stating that Türkiye is an integral part of European value chains, Bolat said they had discussed opportunities for cooperation that would increase joint competitiveness and strengthen the economic partnership.

Contacts at the European Parliament

During his meeting with Tsvetelina Penkova, Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, Bolat discussed the “Made in EU” rules under consideration as part of the EU’s Industrial Accelerator Act and Türkiye’s expectations.

Bolat said the strong industrial integration between Türkiye and the EU through the Customs Union was of strategic importance for Europe’s competitiveness. He said Türkiye should be recognized as a partner from the moment the regulation enters into force and should receive treatment equivalent to that of the EU in all regulations.

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Bolat said they expected Türkiye’s status to be explicitly guaranteed in the legislation rather than left to future assessments. He said excluding Türkiye from the regulations could adversely affect the European industry’s production capacity, competitiveness and position in global markets, and called for the Customs Union partnership and mutual economic interests to be taken into account during the legislative process.

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Production chains discussed with automotive companies

Bolat discussed the future of the automotive sector under the draft Industrial Accelerator Act and priorities for strengthening the Türkiye-EU production ecosystem with Xavier Martinet, CEO of Hyundai Motor Europe.

Stating that Türkiye’s production infrastructure and international investments contribute to Europe’s global competitiveness, Bolat discussed the importance of fully including Türkiye in the “Made in EU” rules to ensure the sustainability of existing investments and pave the way for new ones.

The potential impact of the draft act on the automotive sector was also discussed with Ford Vice President John Lawler. The meeting addressed steps that could be taken to protect existing investments, encourage new investments and strengthen Türkiye-EU automotive value chains.

Carbon rules and e-commerce on the agenda

A meeting with Gerassimos Thomas, Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union, covered work under the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism Working Group and new rules for cross-border e-commerce.

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Bolat conveyed Türkiye’s expectations that the accreditation of the Turkish Accreditation Agency under the mechanism be accepted, renewable energy investments be taken into account and default emission values accurately reflecting Türkiye’s production structure be determined. The meeting also addressed the EU’s recognition of carbon payments made under Türkiye’s emissions trading system, which is being established.

Bolat said it was welcome that agreement had been reached to exempt goods covered by the A.TR Movement Certificate from the EU’s customs duty on low-value consignments. He stressed the importance of applying the same approach to the processing fee that the EU is expected to introduce.

Goal of $15 billion in trade with Belgium

During his meeting with Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot, Bolat discussed steps to develop bilateral economic and trade relations. The talks covered developing trade on the basis of more balanced and higher-value-added products, increasing mutual investments and strengthening cooperation between the business communities, with the goal of raising bilateral trade from more than $9.2 billion in 2025 to $15 billion.

Bolat said investments by Belgian investors in Türkiye had reached approximately $5.6 billion, while investments by Turkish investors in Belgium had reached $868 million. He said the goal was to implement new opportunities in energy, logistics, transport, digitalization, the defense industry and advanced manufacturing.

Bolat said the meeting of the Joint Economic and Trade Commission, expected to be held in 2027, would be an important platform for turning new opportunities into concrete results. He said he had conveyed to the Belgian side that Türkiye’s integrated position within European production and supply chains under the Customs Union should be taken into account as part of the “Made in EU” initiative.

Source: Anadolu Ajansı

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