Trade Minister discusses Customs Union, visa issues with EU Commissioner

Trade Minister Omer Bolat met with EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi at the ministry premises for bilateral talks Thursday.

Bolat highlighted several issues discussed during the talks, including the customs union, facilitation of the visa process and bilateral trade issues between the EU and Türkiye.

Türkiye-EU talks: Focus on Customs Union, visa issues

Stressing the importance of modernizing the Customs Union, Bolat said: “The EU Council had not yet authorized the EU Commission to begin negotiations to expand the Customs Union. In the unofficial EU Council summit last April, the Permanent Representatives Committee was tasked with deliberating on and initiating work on the said recommendation report. Commissioner Varhelyi expressed that this is a positive, constructive, and progressive step.”

Minister Bolat emphasized the expectation for positive developments during Hungary’s EU Council presidency, which will start on July 1, particularly regarding the operationalization of the recommendation report and the initiation of negotiations to expand the customs union, including into the services sector and investments.

He described this as a very positive development and drew attention to concerns about some trade issues in the customs union between Türkiye and the EU.

Referring to the visa issue, Minister Bolat said: “The EU Commission is working in coordination with member states and foreign ministries on visa applications of Turkish citizens and facilitating the issuance of multiple-entry and long-term visas.”

“In particular, they stated that the visa application rejection rate for Turkish citizens has decreased to 16.5% compared to citizens of other countries,” Bolat stated.

‘EU’s 5th largest trading partner’

Trade Minister Omer Bolat reported that EU Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi has recommended that member states increase quotas for bilateral and transit road transport.

Highlighting that Türkiye, with $211 billion in mutual trade, is the EU’s 5th largest trading partner worldwide, Bolat said, “With a 41% share in exports, the EU is our largest trading partner. We are striving to increase this further. Despite the global trade decline last year, our trade with the EU saw a slight increase.”

Bolat recalled that under the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, a carbon tax will be implemented at the border starting January 1, 2026. He noted that technical and financial cooperation is underway to ensure that this application does not impose additional burdens on Türkiye’s exports.

Turkish companies to gain from EU Investment platform

Bolat noted the EU has established an infrastructure renewal mechanism with the Western Balkans and is preparing a development package of €6 billion. On the other hand, Varhelyi said: “Türkiye, which is a useful and successful country in infrastructure renewal investments, will also be included in this initiative.”

Referring to the discussions on the European Investment Platform, Minister Bolat also drew attention to Türkiye’s potential benefits from the €10 billion platform for sectoral projects that will start in 2026.

“The European Union has recently established a mechanism called the European Investment Platform. They stated that Türkiye can benefit from this platform for sectoral projects. It will be implemented from the beginning of next year,” Minister Bolat said.

“The European Investment Platform, with a total value of €10 billion, will allocate very low-cost project loans for various sectors. Our companies and sectors in Türkiye can submit their projects to access financial opportunities on this investment platform,” he added.

Moreover, Bolat also maintained Türkiye will be among the leading countries in the reconstruction of Ukraine following the Russia-Ukraine War.