Türkiye has been left outside a Franco-German automotive proposal announced on Oct. 16 that would give Britain conditional access to the EU’s planned “Made in EU” support scheme.
The agreement brings France and Germany closer on rules governing which vehicles qualify for public procurement and financial support. For Türkiye, a major production base supplying European markets, the concern extends to future model allocations and factory investment.
The proposal still needs support from other EU member states and the European Parliament before becoming law.
Under the Franco-German plan, the automotive provisions would cover the EU’s 27 members and allow European partners that were part of the single market on Jan. 1, 2020, to opt in.
That definition provides a route for Britain, which left the single market at the end of 2020, but does not include Türkiye.
Participation would require reciprocal treatment and continuing alignment with EU rules on investment from third countries and trade protection.
For Britain, this could mean adopting the bloc’s measures restricting imports of Chinese-made electric and hybrid vehicles.
The agreement narrows a longstanding difference between Paris and Berlin.
France had sought to reserve support for production within the EU, while Germany favored including trading partners closely integrated into European automotive supply chains.
The wider rules are being negotiated under the Industrial Accelerator Act, which would introduce European-content requirements for vehicles benefiting from public purchasing and support schemes.
A joint statement released by French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said the aim was to reduce emissions while strengthening Europe’s capacity to develop and manufacture the next generation of electric vehicles.
It linked that transition to investment, research and production in France, Germany and across Europe.
Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa had advocated a similar approach at the Paris Motor Show, calling for incentives for companies investing in European design, research and development, factories and suppliers.
He also urged a swift agreement on emissions rules and measures supporting European production.
The Franco-German compromise combines that industrial preference with concessions on emissions.
It would retain the European Commission’s proposed 90 percent reduction in CO2 emissions from new cars by 2035, compared with 2021 levels, while removing the requirement to offset the remaining emissions through measures such as low-carbon steel and alternative fuels.
That change would give manufacturers greater flexibility to continue selling combustion-engine and hybrid vehicles beyond 2035, in line with German industry demands.
For Türkiye, the debate concerns its largest automotive export market. The sector exported $41.5 billion in 2025, with EU countries accounting for $30.1 billion, or 72.5 percent, according to the Uludağ Automotive Industry Exporters’ Association.
Trade Minister Ömer Bolat pressed Türkiye’s case during talks in Brussels earlier in the week.
“Türkiye must be accepted from the very beginning as an equal partner within the framework of the ‘Made with Europe’ concept,” he said on Oct. 14.
Bolat said European companies accounted for nearly 75 percent of Türkiye’s automotive production.
He warned that excluding the country could disrupt the production and supply relationships established through its three-decade customs union with the EU, harming investment, employment and exports on both sides.
The Commission’s March draft already provides for content from customs-union and free-trade partners to receive equivalent treatment in certain procurement and support schemes, subject to conditions.
Bolat said that restrictive automotive provisions nevertheless remained and that Ankara was seeking changes through talks with EU institutions and manufacturers.
Toyota also called for a broader agreement on Oct. 16.
Its European division welcomed discussion of Britain’s inclusion but said the arrangement should extend to other trusted partners, including Türkiye and Japan, whose cooperation could support European competitiveness.
The company said wider inclusion would also benefit future investment decisions, including a battery production study.
