Türkiye’s top trade official is due on Tuesday to fly to Brussels for a range of talks, which come amid heightened tensions that have even seen the Turkish leader recently implying his country could end its EU membership bid.
Türkiye has been an official candidate to join the European Union for 24 years, but accession talks have stalled in recent years over a number of disagreements and political roadblocks. Türkiye suggests it has fulfilled most of the criteria for the membership.
Though the accession process stalled, Türkiye has remained a key economic and defense partner for the 27-member bloc.
Trade Minister Ömer Bolat will address Türkiye-EU bilateral trade and economic cooperation and explore opportunities to deepen relations, said a statement by the ministry on Monday.
Bolat will meet European Commission Executive Vice President and EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi, and Paolo Gentiloni, the EU commissioner responsible for customs.
Both sides had earlier this year expressed interest in reengaging in dialogue to restore relations strained over multiple issues, including the prolonged process of expansion of the scope of the current customs union agreement, EU policies on refugees from Syria, and tensions over the island of Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Ankara last month affirmed its resolve to join the EU and urged the bloc to take courageous steps to advance its bid.
But a scathing report by the European Parliament, seemingly opposing a full membership, triggered harsh criticism from Ankara. The report said, "the accession process cannot resume under the current circumstances, and calls on EU to explore ‘a parallel and realistic framework’ for EU-Türkiye relations."
Addressing the report, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Türkiye may part ways with the EU, implying that the country is contemplating ending its bid to join the 27-nation bloc.
"The EU is trying to break away from Türkiye," Erdoğan said. "We will make our evaluations against these developments and if necessary, we can part ways with the EU."
The customs union update and visa liberalization have been some of the main roadblocks that have frustrated Ankara.
The EU-Türkiye Customs Union came into force in 1995 but is limited to industrial goods and processed agricultural products. Bilateral trade hit a record high of nearly $200 billion in 2022, according to Trade Ministry data.
Türkiye is the only non-EU country with a customs union agreement with the bloc. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, has long pushed for revamping the deal but failed to register any progress.
A deeper trade agreement would be expanded to services, farm goods and public procurement.
Bolat is expected to make a speech at the European Policy Center on the importance of Türkiye-EU economic relations, updating the customs union, and strengthening cooperation on the axis of green and digital transformation in global value chains, the ministry said.
On the other hand, he is also scheduled to meet with representatives of the Turkish business world.