Türkiye on Monday said it had agreed with the European Union on a road map to add further momentum to bilateral trade and economic relations in the new period, at a time when the sides are expanding dialogue to restore strained relations.
The announcement comes amid a reciprocal interest to reengage in negotiations on Türkiye’s accession process, long-delayed update of the customs union and visa liberalization.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last month said Ankara anticipated the EU would resume accession talks after Türkiye gave the green light to Sweden’s NATO membership bid.
In the EU, member states’ foreign ministers last month signaled their readiness to work for closer ties with Türkiye.
The latest sign of improving ties came during what Trade Minister Ömer Bolat said were "very positive" talks with EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis. The online meeting addressed opportunities for cooperation and deepening trade relations between Türkiye and the EU, according to a statement by the Trade Ministry.
"During the meeting, we agreed on a common road map for the development of trade and economic relations between Türkiye and the EU in the new period," Bolat said.
The statement said the road map would serve to strengthen the trade dialogue before the start of negotiations on updating the customs union.
Within the scope of the Trade Working Group, Bolat said the sides would discuss pending technical issues and cooperation opportunities. "And then we will be in close contact for a strong dialogue in all areas of our trade," the minister noted.
"A constructive first discussion with the Trade Minister Bolat@omerbolatTR on how to re-invigorate our cooperation and EU-Türkiye trade relations," Dombrovskis wrote on the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Türkiye and the bloc enjoy good trade ties and decades of cooperation on migration. However, relations are 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 Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Türkiye is a key economic and defense partner for the bloc. Bilateral trade hit a record high of nearly $200 billion in 2022, according to Trade Ministry data.
Officials have repeatedly said a more inclusive customs union would comprehensively shake up economic relations between the sides.
Türkiye is the only non-EU country with a customs union agreement with the bloc. The deal was struck in 1995. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, has long pushed for revamping the deal but failed to register any progress.
A host of disagreements between Ankara and Brussels over recent years has been stalling the negotiations for the updated accord. A deeper 1990s-era trade agreement would be expanded to services, farm goods and public procurement.
The current agreement only covers a limited range of industrial products and excludes agriculture, public procurement, e-commerce and services.
During the last month’s NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Erdoğan held talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, president of the European Council. Following the summit, the Turkish leader said they expected positive steps from the EU on visa liberalization and the customs union.
Bolat echoed Erdoğan’s view and stressed Ankara’s expectations for a start to talks on updating the customs union, emphasizing that such progress was important for creating a positive agenda.
As part of the expanded dialogue, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek met with Paolo Gentiloni, the EU commissioner responsible for customs, two times last month.
Addressing a conference in Salzburg late last month, Şimşek said it was irrelevant whether Türkiye would become an EU member at the end of the process. "All we need is to allow us to continue on a journey that is so relevant in terms of wholesale transformation," he said, according to Bloomberg News.
As part of the effort to relaunch the process, he said that the "low-hanging fruit" is updating the customs union.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign affairs chief, last month said, "We are convinced that there is a reciprocal interest to develop a strong relationship between Türkiye and the EU."
Türkiye has the most extended history with the union and the most prolonged negotiation process. The country signed an association agreement with the EU’s predecessor in 1964, the European Economic Community (EEC), which is usually regarded as a first step to eventually becoming a candidate.
Applying for official candidacy in 1987, Türkiye had to wait until 1999 to be granted the status of a candidate country. For the start of the negotiations, however, Türkiye had to wait for another six years, until 2005, a uniquely long process compared with other candidates.