02.04.2025 14:11
Turkey and the European Union will hold a high-level economic meeting after a 6-year hiatus. The meeting will be attended by the Minister of Treasury and Finance, Mehmet Şimşek. Regarding the meeting, which is of critical importance for Turkey's EU process, Minister Şimşek stated, "We are ready for a stronger and more strategic cooperation with the European Union."
The Turkey-European Union (EU) High Level Economic Dialogue (HLED) Meeting will be held tomorrow in Brussels after a 6-year hiatus.
According to information obtained from the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, the decision to establish the HLED mechanism was made at the Turkey-EU Summit held on November 29, 2015, with the aim of developing dialogue channels between Turkey and the EU. In this context, three meetings have been held to date in 2016, 2017, and 2019. Turkey hosted the first and third meetings, while Belgium hosted the second meeting.
Most recently, the revitalization of the dialogue was decided at the EU General Affairs Council meeting in December 2024. This decision was also approved at the EU Heads of State and Government Summit, bringing it to an official level.
In this framework, the first meeting of the new period will be held on April 3 in Brussels.
The opening speeches will be delivered by Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek, EU Commissioner for Economy and Efficiency Valdis Dombrovskis, and EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos.
The meeting is significant in terms of accelerating economic relations between the parties and deepening strategic cooperation.
FINANCIAL GIANTS WILL ALSO PARTICIPATE
The meeting will consist of two main parts. In the first part, the macroeconomic outlooks of Turkey and the EU, steps that can be taken in the field of competitiveness, and structural reforms will be discussed at the ministerial level. Minister Şimşek and Commissioner Dombrovskis will co-chair these sessions.
In the second part, leading representatives of the Turkish and EU business communities will come together with ministers and commissioners to evaluate joint investment and trade opportunities.
High-level executives from European-based financial institutions such as the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the European Development Council Bank will also participate in the meetings.
Minister Şimşek will also hold bilateral meetings with Dombrovskis and Kos within the scope of the meetings. The future of relations and possible areas of cooperation will be discussed in these meetings.
"WE ARE READY FOR STRONG COOPERATION WITH THE EU"
Minister Şimşek stated that he sees the resumption of the meetings after a 6-year break as a very valuable step for the revitalization of Turkey-EU relations, saying, "As someone who co-chaired the first meeting held in 2016, I am pleased with the revival of this platform."
Emphasizing that EU membership is a strategic goal for Turkey, Şimşek noted that approximately 42% of the country's exports are made to EU countries and that Turkey is the EU's 5th largest trading partner.
Şimşek pointed out that the increasing protectionist trends in global trade, along with developments in e-commerce, digitalization, and green transformation, necessitate an updated trade framework, stating:
"Updating the Customs Union to include public procurement, services, and agriculture sectors, providing visa facilitation for business people and students, and developing joint projects in third countries present significant opportunities for Turkey-EU cooperation. With the competencies and capabilities we possess across a wide range from defense to energy, and from agriculture to manufacturing, we are ready for stronger and multidimensional collaborations with the EU."