Trade Minister Ömer Bolat held a series of contacts in The Hague, Netherlands, as part of the 6th Term Meeting of the Turkey-Netherlands Joint Economic and Trade Commission (JETCO). The new JETCO Protocol signed at the end of the meeting significantly expanded the scope of economic cooperation between the two countries.
Minister Bolat held a bilateral meeting with Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, attended the inter-delegation meeting, and addressed the business community at the Turkey-Netherlands Business Roundtable Meeting and Business Forum.
Protocol scope expanded
Bolat explained that the new protocol covers not only trade but also investment, energy, industry, agriculture, finance, contracting, green transition, and many areas related to the European Union. “With the signed JETCO Protocol, we have activated a broad cooperation framework ranging from updating the Customs Union to renewing the investment agreement, from visa facilitation to green and digital transition. This marks a new era for our economic relations,” he said.
New trade volume target
Noting that bilateral trade volume exceeded $13 billion in 2025, Bolat said he believes the short-term target of $15 billion will be achieved. Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Sjoerdsma also emphasized that trade has doubled in the last five years and said they agreed on a $20 billion target for 2030.
Emphasis on the Customs Union
Bolat stated that updating the Customs Union with the EU is among Turkey's top priorities. Reminding that the current agreement, in force for about 30 years, does not cover new areas such as services, e-commerce, and public procurement, Bolat said Turkey should not be treated as a third country in the EU's “Made in Europe” and industrial policies. He called for the existing integration to be taken into account, especially in strategic sectors such as automotive.
Call for visa and e-commerce cooperation
Bolat noted that facilitating visa processes, especially for businesspeople and truck drivers, is among the priority issues, and emphasized that Turkey is one of the fastest-growing e-commerce markets in the region with a volume exceeding $115 billion, calling for increased cooperation in digital trade.
Contracting sector and financial cooperation
Bolat announced that Turkish contractors have undertaken 69 projects worth $4.7 billion in the Netherlands so far, and said the Turkish contracting sector has completed 12,901 projects worldwide since 1972, surpassing a total size of $562 billion. Bolat also proposed a reinsurance agreement between Turk Eximbank and the Dutch export credit agency Atradius for projects to be carried out in third countries.
Turkish entrepreneurs in the Netherlands
Speaking at the business forum, Bolat noted that the Netherlands is the third country in Europe with the highest number of Turkish citizens, with over 450,000 Turkish citizens living there. He reported that the 25,000 companies owned by Turkish entrepreneurs in the Netherlands employ 80,000 people, generating €6 billion in investment and €8 billion in annual turnover.
Call for a joint message to the EU
Reminding that Turkey is the world's 16th largest economy with a national income of $1.6 trillion, Bolat called for a joint message to Brussels that protectionist measures disrupting Turkey-EU supply chains would also weaken the EU's own competitiveness. Bolat recalled that Turkey will host the NATO Summit next week and the COP31 Climate Change Conference in November.
Full support from Dutch ministers
Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Sjoerd Sjoerdsma expressed satisfaction with the trust and predictability between the two countries, stressing that these elements are decisive in relations with Turkey. Dutch Vice Minister for Foreign Trade Michiel Sweers said Turkey is a critical partner for both the EU and NATO, and that 3,000 Dutch companies operate in the Turkish market while hundreds of Turkish businesses operate in the Netherlands. Sweers stated that JETCO is the most suitable platform for sustaining this cooperation.
