On the 12^th May 2015, the European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström and Turkish Minister of Economy Nihat Zeybekci announced their decision to revise the framework and to expand the scope of the Customs Union between Turkey and the EU that was established 20 years ago.

The following additional problems were clear indication that the revision of the Customs Union was long overdue: the number of complaints voiced out has increased over the last few years in regard to the functioning of the Customs Union, especially Turkey’s absence in the decision making mechanism and EU’s negotiation processes of trade agreements with third countries. The application of quotas to Turkish trucks and visa to Turkish businessmen have also been important causes of concern for the representatives of the Turkish private sector since these discriminatory treatments put the free movement of goods in jeopardy.

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