As IKV, we would like to indicate that the latest declaration by German Chancellor Angela Merkel with respect to the impossibility of modernising the Customs Union is an unfortunate statement.

As it is known, in last December, the European Commission had requested a mandate from the EU Council in order to move forward and start the negotiations with respect to the modernisation of the Customs Union. Indeed, in order for the negotiations to begin, the Commission needs a mandate of the Council in order to have the authority to launch the negotiations. This is not a decision taken by Germany alone but constitutes a common approach and decision of the Council as a whole. We would like to take this opportunity to stress that the current approach that Germany has shown with respect to its bilateral relations with Turkey along with its decision to use the Customs Union which represents an important area for further progress in Turkey-EU relations as leverage represents an approach which is incompatible with the traditional historical and cultural bonds between our two countries. One should not omit that the modernisation of the Customs Union will be beneficial for both Turkey and the EU.

From that perspective, the decision to use the issue of opening to negotiations the modernisation of the Customs Union as a tool of blackmail is an utterly wrong policy decision.

Ayhan Zeytinoğlu 
IKV Chairman