European Union Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos arrived in Türkiye on Friday for high-level talks centred on the modernisation of the EU-Türkiye Customs Union, which both sides have described as vital to the future of bilateral relations.
European Union Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos arrived in Türkiye on Friday for high-level talks centred on the modernisation of the EU-Türkiye Customs Union, which both sides have described as vital to the future of bilateral relations.
Yılmaz said discussions had underscored the strategic nature of Türkiye–EU relations and the urgent need to update the Customs Union, which has been in force since 1995. He described its modernisation as essential for deepening cooperation.
Kos was welcomed in Ankara by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan before meeting Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz alongside an accompanying EU delegation.
Importance of EU-Türkiye customs union in regional stability
The Customs Union is currently limited to industrial and agricultural goods but Ankara has repeatedly called for negotiations to expand and update the agreement in line with evolving global trade dynamics.
Kos later held talks with Fidan, after which the two sides issued a joint statement reaffirming Türkiye’s status as an EU candidate country and highlighting the importance of Türkiye-EU relations in supporting regional stability.
Both sides stressed the importance of working together on a regional connectivity initiative encompassing energy, transport, digitalisation and trade, linking Türkiye’s Black Sea region with the South Caucasus and Central Asia.
Fidan reiterated the need to modernise the Customs Union in light of rapidly changing trade dynamics, while Kos hailed Ankara’s engagement in an ongoing political process on Cyprus under the auspices of the UN secretary-general.
Both sides also welcomed the recent adoption of a European Commission decision facilitating the issuance of multiple-entry Schengen visas for Turkish nationals.
Türkiye was granted EU candidate status in 1999. But accession talks have stalled in recent years over issues relating to human rights and alleged democratic backsliding.
Last November, Ankara criticised a European Commission report on Türkiye as biased, rejecting its assessment of the country’s human rights record.
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