Joint Statement on the third EU-Türkiye High-Level Dialogue on Trade

The European Union and Türkiye held the 3rd EU-Türkiye High Level Dialogue on Trade on 13 October 2026 in Brussels. The meeting was co-chaired by the Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency Maroš Šefčovič and Minister of Trade of Türkiye Ömer Bolat. The EU and Türkiye, a candidate country and major trade partner, have bilateral trade flows that have grown constantly over the years reaching €217.6 billion in 2025.

The Dialogue provided an opportunity to review progress in bilateral trade relations, address key market access and customs issues, and discuss areas for enhanced cooperation with a view to strengthening the EU-Türkiye economic partnership.

The EU and Türkiye underlined the strategic importance of their trade relationship and reaffirmed their shared interest in promoting growth, competitiveness and resilient value chains. They recalled the important role of the EU-Türkiye Customs Union and discussed concrete steps to improve the business environment for companies and economic operators on both sides. The Dialogue was preceded by a Business Roundtable with representatives of the business community from EU and Türkiye.

In the area of customs cooperation, the EU and Türkiye welcomed progress on customs reform, including on e-commerce, and confirmed their intention to advance work on the implementation of their agreement on the Mutual Recognition Agreement on Authorised Economic Operators. The parties recognized the importance of Türkiye's alignment with relevant EU legislation and welcomed the completion of alignment to the new EU Machinery Regulation, as an important step in ensuring free movement of goods across the Customs Union without technical barriers.