1st Türkiye-EU high-level trade dialogue set for Monday in Brussels

By Serhat Tutak

The first high-level trade dialogue between Türkiye and the EU will be held in Brussels on Monday, co-chaired by Trade Minister Omer Bolat and European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis.

Bolat and Dombrovskis will meet with representatives of the EU and Turkish business communities in a roundtable meeting in the morning, and intergovernmental meetings will be held in the afternoon.

Progress on bilateral trade issues and areas of cooperation, including the green and digital agenda, will be discussed within the framework determined at the Trade Working Group meeting held in Oct. 2023.

Discussions aimed at deepening the Türkiye-EU trade and economic cooperation are also planned.

The high-level trade dialogue between Türkiye and the EU was among the recommendations in the joint declaration on the current state of Türkiye-EU political, trade, and economic relations in Nov. 2023, and it was decided that the first meeting under this mechanism would be held on July 8, 2024.

This dialogue will provide an important platform for addressing the Türkiye-EU trade and economic relations at the highest level and for continuing positive work on updating the Customs Union.

*Writing by Gizem Nisa Cebi from Istanbul