Trade Minister Ömer Bolat discussed the potential impact of the European Union’s proposed “Made in EU” approach on Turkish industry during meetings with senior EU officials in Brussels.
Bolat told Anadolu Agency that he met with Stephane Sejourne, the European Commission’s executive vice president for industrial strategy; Marta Kos, commissioner for enlargement, and deputy leaders of the liberal group in the European Parliament.
Discussions focused on the EU’s proposed Industrial Acceleration Act and its “Made in EU” initiative, he added.
The minister said the proposed measures could have significant implications for foreign trade and investment, adding that Türkiye has been regularly conveying its position, expectations and assessments of the possible effects to EU institutions and member states.
He noted that when the issue first emerged on the EU agenda about a year ago, proposals were largely focused on protecting European industry and paid limited attention to their impact on external trade relations.
However, he said the European Commission’s proposal published on March 4 included Türkiye and the EU-Türkiye Customs Union within the scope of the “Made in EU” framework.
He added that restrictive provisions remained in the annexes of the proposal, particularly for the automotive sector, and said Türkiye had communicated its concerns to European Commission officials, members of the European Parliament and ministers from EU member states.
Bolat noted that the Türkiye-EU Business Summit and the third High-Level Trade Dialogue meeting will be held in Brussels in two weeks.
Following the meeting with Kos, Bolat said in a post on X that the EU’s new industrial, competition and trade policies, particularly the Industrial Acceleration Act, should be compatible with the functioning of the Customs Union.
He said both sides agreed to work on a concrete and positive trade agenda, identifying public procurement, technical regulations and connectivity as priority areas for deeper cooperation.
