IKV Chairman Ayhan Zeytinoğlu issued a statement ahead of the EU Summit to be held on 24-25 June 2021. Indicating that the positive agenda will be discussed in the context of Turkey-EU relations at the Summit, IKV Chairman Zeytinoğlu voiced his expectation for concrete steps in this regard. IKV Chairman Zeytinoğlu emphasized that the positive agenda, the foundations of which were laid at the European Council in October 2020 and has been on the agenda of the EU Summits ever since, should now be translated into practice. IKV Chairman Zeytinoğlu made the following remarks:

“The positive agenda has created hope for a revival in Turkey-EU relations. Our main objective continues to be full membership. In this respect, although the positive agenda does not have the scope to replace the negotiation process, it could be instrumental in breaking the vicious circle under the current circumstances. Especially when we take into account the geopolitical developments, consolidating Turkey's position in Europe and strengthening its relations with the West, including the US, are of great importance in light of the shift in global balances. Here, it is necessary to draw attention to the emphasis on integration around common values, democracy and freedoms. A positive agenda can play an effective role in repairing Turkey's economic, political and geopolitical relations with the EU. But now is the time to move from rhetoric to action. The positive agenda was first proposed by the European Council in October last year. Its substance was developed at the Summit in March and it was introduced as a gradual, proportional and reversible approach. One of the most important elements of the positive agenda is the modernisation of the Customs Union. It is an issue that has been on the agenda since 2014 and it is essential to move to the implementation phase as soon as possible.

The Green Deal and the digital agenda, which have substantially affected the EU's trade policy, have rendered the modernisation of the Customs Union even more urgent. The carbon border adjustment mechanism will bring an additional cost in exports to the EU, especially from energy-intensive sectors such as iron and steel, cement and aluminium. In addition, the Green Deal is changing the manufacturing and production standards applicable in the EU market. Reducing environmental impact and carbon footprint has become a key priority. This situation necessitates a revision of the economic and trade relationship between the EU and Turkey. At the same time, the need for alignment in environmental and climate policies is increasing. The chapter on Environment is one of the chapters opened in Turkey's accession negotiations and Turkey’s level of alignment with some EU legislation, such as the SEVESO Directive is well advanced. However, this alignment needs to be reflected in climate change as well. The modernisation of the Customs Union will allow this dimension of relations to be updated and revitalised. We expect concrete steps from tomorrow's Summit on modernisation of the Customs Union and launching the high-level dialogues.”

IKV Chairman Zeytinoğlu also touched upon the issues of people-to-people contacts and cooperation on refugees in relation to the positive agenda and said:

“Another important dimension of the relations is cooperation on migration and refugees and visa liberalisation. Especially on the refugee issue, Turkey plays an indispensable role for the EU. Our country is shouldering the burden of the EU by hosting approximately 4 million refugees. The passage of these refugees to the EU would have created a huge political and economic cost, especially for Member States such as Germany. In this respect, the role assumed by Turkey is very important. The Turkey-EU Statement of 18 March 2016 did not exclusively focus on refugee cooperation. In addition, there were articles on opening new chapters in the negotiations, ensuring visa liberalisation and the modernisation of the Customs Union. However, no progress has been made on these issues. The EU continued its 3+3 billion euro support to projects for Syrian refugees in Turkey. Currently, the continuation of this financial cooperation is on the agenda. However, its scope needs to be further extended and burden sharing should also be addressed. In addition, we maintain our expectations regarding the visa liberalisation process. The remaining criteria should be fulfilled swiftly for the issue to come to the agenda in the relations in the post-COVID-19 normalization process. We expect concrete steps for the effective functioning of the Customs Union and the implementation of the positive agenda.”