IKV, in cooperation with the Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry organised a conference within the framework of the ongoing project “Presidencies of the EU Council and Turkey’s EU Accession Process” in the Slovak capital, Bratislava, on 8 December 2016. At the conference, the latest developments in Turkey-EU relations, changes in world trade, and the modernisation process of the Customs Union were discussed.

IKV Chairman Ayhan Zeytinoğlu and the Turkish Ambassador to Slovakia H.E. Aslıgül Üğdül delivered the opening speeches. During his opening speech, IKV Chairman Ayhan Zeytinoğlu first gave a short overview of the activities and projects conducted by IKV and then pointed out to the importance of the Customs Union for the Turkish economy and the need to overcome the problems arising from the functioning of the current state of the Customs Union. As for Turkish Ambassador to Slovakia H.E. Aslıgül Üğdül, she stated that Turkey-EU relations have passed various tests in recent years and that the Turkey-EU Refugee Deal is testimony of a constructive approach and fruitful cooperation in that respect. H.E. Ambassador Üğdül expressed Turkey’s expectations that the EU will fulfil its commitments regarding the visa liberalisation and financial aid for Syrian refugees and stated that focusing on only 1 out of 72 requirements criteria for visa liberalisation does not reflect the reality of today. Pointing out that the obstacles Turkey has faced during the negotiation process were not technical but political, H.E. Ambassador Üğdül reminded that the opening of chapters in the negotiation process is not a reward and emphasised that chapters 23 and 24 should be opened without delay.

Furthermore, IKV Chairman Ayhan Zeytinoğlu assessed the latest developments in the Turkish economy. Reminding that Turkey is the 18^th largest economy in the world and the EU’s 6^th largest trading partner, IKV Chairman Zeytinoğlu indicated that the Turkish economy has performed well in 2016 despite all the difficulties. In addition, he stated that Turkey has made important gains through the Customs Union so far, but that important issues such as visa and transport quotas along with problems arising from the fact that Turkey is not included in the decision-making mechanisms have affected bilateral trade relations in the recent years.

Following the remarks of IKV Chairman Ayhan Zeytinoğlu, TEPAV Director of the Centre for Multilateral Trade Studies and Former Ambassador of Turkey to WTO, Rtd Ambassador Bozkurt Aran focused on the changing trends in global trade. H.E Ambassador Aran pointed out that growing populism and changing geopolitics are challenging the international liberal order led by the US and the EU. Moreover, he underscored that cheap labour force has negatively affected the working class in developed countries and that immigration and violation of sovereignty will become more prevalent in a new global order. Aran called to mind that, on the one side, Trump won the American elections with his rhetoric, and the EU, on the other side, is dealing with Brexit and a growing nationalist populism.

Later, TEPAV Director of the Centre for G20 Studies Sait Akman addressed the benefits and challenges of a modernisation of the Customs Union in his presentation. In that respect, he explained that Turkey would experience a welfare loss if the current Customs Union were replaced with an FTA, whereas a deepening of the Turkey-EU Customs Union would lead to welfare gains of 1.84 percent. Sait Akman pointed out that there are some difficulties for both sides regarding the modernisation of the Customs Union, which will start in the next period since there is an increasing resistance within the EU as seen in the case of CETA and a rather negative atmosphere created by the EP's resolution to temporarily suspend Turkey’s accession negotiations process.

Finally, IKV Secretary-General Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Nas indicated that the negotiations process has been locked in a stalemate apart from the bilateral readmission agreement and the refugee agreement and expressed a continued focus on the visa liberalisation process, the modernisation of the Customs Union, the high-level dialogue mechanisms, and the annual Turkey-EU summits. IKV Secretary-General Nas stated that a public opinion survey published by IKV in May 2016 revealed that 75 percent of the Turkish public supported EU membership but only 64 percent had a membership expectation. Assoc. Prof. Nas emphasised that economic and welfare development were the main reasons for EU membership support among the Turkish public and noted the importance of a modernisation process of the Customs Union, the completion of visa liberalisation, the maintenance of the accession negotiations, keeping the EU membership goal alive and cooperating in areas of common interest in assessing bilateral relations for the future.