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Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat urged the European Union to ensure its planned Industrial Accelerator Act and "Made in EU" rules do not damage Türkiye's Customs Union with the bloc, saying Ankara wants to be recognized as a partner country from the day the law takes effect.
"We are strongly stating that a decision must come out that will not damage this partnership and the Customs Union partnership, for both Türkiye and the EU," Bolat told Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) after meetings with senior EU officials in Brussels.
"There is a very large integration between the EU and Turkish industry," he noted.
Türkiye-EU trade totals $233 billion a year, including $62 billion in automotive trade, and exclusion from "Made in EU" preferences could disrupt deeply integrated supply chains, particularly in the auto sector.
Meeting Tsvetelina Penkova, vice chair of the European Parliament’s industry committee, Bolat said: "We emphasized the importance of Türkiye being recognized as a partner country from the moment the regulation enters into force and receiving treatment equivalent to the EU under all regulations."
He said Türkiye wants its status clearly guaranteed in the legislation for legal certainty rather than left to future assessments, warning that excluding Türkiye would also hurt European industry’s production capacity, competitiveness and global standing.
After meeting European Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera, Bolat said: "We emphasized the importance of shaping the EU’s new industrial and competitiveness policies with an inclusive understanding that takes into account the strong production and supply chains established on the basis of our Customs Union."
Bolat said the EU is concerned about weakening industry and imports, noting, "They have serious concern and anxiety especially about imports of subsidized industrial products in many sectors. They are seeking a way out, in their own way, in the face of these concerns coming from third countries."
"Currently, intense, heated debates are taking place in the EU Council and the European Parliament," the Turkish minister stated, adding that the Trade Ministry, Foreign Ministry and Türkiye's EU mission are working as a team.
"We are conveying to them with very clear messages our country’s attitude, stance, and what needs to be done so that the EU-Türkiye Customs Union and industrial integration are not harmed," he said.
"We intensively laid out through our meetings and speeches that Türkiye-EU relations should not be negatively affected by the developments," Bolat added.
"Bilaterally, all countries say every time that they want to develop, strengthen and move forward together with Türkiye," he said.
More than 60,000 European companies and investors operate in Türkiye, with investments exceeding $200 billion, he said. The 3rd Türkiye-EU High-Level Trade Dialogue in Brussels lasted about five hours.
Bolat met Hyundai Motor Europe CEO Xavier Martinet and Ford Vice President John Lawler to discuss the draft law's impact on the auto sector, protecting existing investments and including Türkiye in "Made in EU" rules "with all their elements."
In talks with Gerassimos Thomas, the Commission’s director-general for taxation and customs union, Bolat sought recognition of Turkish accreditation body TURKAK under the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, consideration of renewable energy investments, default emission values reflecting Türkiye's production structure and recognition of carbon prices paid under Ankara's planned emissions trading system.
He welcomed an agreement exempting A.TR-certified goods from the EU’s customs duty on low-value consignments and urged the same approach for a planned handling fee.
Bolat also met Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot, discussing a target to raise bilateral trade from more than $9.2 billion in 2025 to $15 billion.
Belgian investments in Türkiye stand at about $5.6 billion and Turkish investments in Belgium at $868 million, he said, as Ankara presses its case on "Made in EU."
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