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The European enlargement chief and Türkiye's top diplomat said on Friday they had agreed to continue work toward modernizing the EU-Türkiye customs union and to improve its implementation, with European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos meeting Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in the capital Ankara where the two sides issued a joint statement emphasizing their commitment to unlocking the partnership's full potential.
"They shared a willingness to work for paving the way for the modernization of the Customs Union and to achieve its full potential in order to support competitiveness, and economic security and resilience for both sides," they said in a joint statement afterward.
The sides also welcomed the gradual resumption of European Investment Bank operations in Türkiye and said they intended to support projects across the country and neighboring regions in cooperation with the bank.
The officials reconfirmed Türkiye's candidate status for EU membership and stressed the strategic value of Turkish-EU relations in strengthening regional stability and economic resilience in a rapidly changing geopolitical environment. Both sides highlighted that recent global and regional developments have further elevated the strategic importance of the relationship.
Fidan underscored the need to urgently overcome existing obstacles in bilateral relations and called for cooperation within a more comprehensive, institutional and multidimensional framework. Both parties acknowledged that strengthening cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including security and connectivity, holds strategic importance in light of ongoing regional and global developments.
The foreign minister and commissioner emphasized the importance of closer coordination in shaping a regional connectivity agenda covering energy, transportation, digitalization and trade to contribute to stability, resilience and sustainable growth in the Black Sea, South Caucasus and Central Asia. In this context, the sides underscored the importance of Türkiye's role as a central geopolitical actor in the region.
Fidan emphasized the growing urgency of updating the customs union in light of changing global trade dynamics, increasing geopolitical and economic uncertainties, the proliferation of bilateral and regional trade agreements, supply chain vulnerabilities, and the green and digital transformation.
The customs union, in effect since January 1996, allows for tariff-free trade in industrial goods between Türkiye and the EU. However, because Türkiye is not an EU member state, it cannot participate in the bloc's trade agreements with third countries, creating what Turkish officials describe as structural asymmetries.
Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat said in late January that officials had resolved 15 of 29 problematic areas within the customs union framework, though formal negotiations cannot begin until the European Commission receives authorization from the EU Council. Speaking at a conference organized by the Turkish Exporters Assembly in Istanbul, Bolat said ongoing discussions through High-Level Talks launched last year cover transportation quotas, visa policies, carbon border taxation and digital compliance issues.
Bolat said certain EU member states continue to obstruct modernization efforts despite European Commission support for expanding the agreement to cover services and e-commerce. He did not identify which countries were blocking progress, stating only that "the Council has yet to grant it a mandate due to the unjustified objections of a few member states."
The European Union remains Türkiye's largest export market. In 2025, Türkiye became the EU's fifth-largest trading partner, with exports to the bloc rising 7.8 percent to $117 billion, bringing total bilateral trade to $232.7 billion.
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Both sides welcomed the adoption of a Commission decision facilitating the issuance of multiple-entry Schengen visas to Turkish citizens. The parties once again emphasized the importance of the Visa Liberalization Dialogue and further strengthening cooperation in security and migration areas through the high-level dialogue mechanism established on these issues.
The joint statement noted that five high-level dialogue meetings held in 2025 made progress on sustaining EU support for Türkiye's efforts to host refugees under temporary protection and facilitating Turkish citizens' access to multiple-entry Schengen visas.
Both sides expressed satisfaction with the mutual engagement established recently in various areas of common interest and reiterated their determination to translate this process into concrete steps.
Kos reminded that dialogue on rule of law and democratic standards is an integral part of Turkish-EU relations. She welcomed Türkiye's engagement in the ongoing informal process on Cyprus under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary-General and emphasized the importance of continuing confidence-building initiatives. The commissioner also reiterated the importance of preventing the circumvention of EU sanctions by all states.
On the anniversary of the devastating earthquakes that occurred in 2023, Kos respectfully remembered those affected by the earthquake and once again confirmed that the EU stands in full solidarity with Türkiye and the Turkish people, including through the 1 billion euros in emergency and reconstruction support provided by the European Union.
Fidan, referring to the solidarity shown by the EU during the earthquake, emphasized the importance of solidarity between Türkiye and the EU in all areas for the security, stability and prosperity of the European continent.
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