IKV Secretary General Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Nas co-authored a policy note on the modernisation of the Turkey-EU Customs Union. In the policy note entitled “Modernisation of the Turkey-EU Customs Union: Building a New Partnership on Past Achievements”, IKV Secretary General Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Nas, TEPAV Area Studies Program Director Prof. Güven Sak, TOBB University of Economics and Technology Law Faculty member Prof. Sanem Baykal, TEPAV EU Studies Center Director Nilgün Arısan Eralp, energy policy advisor Leyla Karakaya and SEFiA Director and TED University lecturer Bengisu Özenç draw attention to the importance of launching negotiations on the modernisation of the Customs Union between Turkey and the EU as soon as possible.

The policy note states that the revitalisation of Turkey-EU relations has gained renewed urgency in light of the harmonisation efforts with the European Green Deal which sets ambitious emission reduction targets in line with the EU’s goal of reaching climate neutrality by 2050. The authors argue that by formally launching the talks aimed at the modernisation of the Customs Union, it would be possible to resolve the current problems in the Customs Union, establish a sounder Turkey-EU trade relationship and to expand the scope of the Customs Union which is currently limited to industrial goods to cover new areas such as services, agricultural products, e-commerce, decarbonisation, renewable energy and public procurement.

To read the policy note click here.