IKV Secretary General Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Nas attended the eighth meeting of the "Customs Union Modernisation Working Group" on 2 September 2022. At the meeting hosted by the Ministry of Trade Directorate General for International Agreements and EU, the state of play concerning the Türkiye-EU Customs Union and the latest developments in the modernisation process were discussed. Participants were briefed by officials from the Ministry of Trade DG for International Agreements and presentations were made on topics such as the European Green Deal, Public Procurement as well as the US-EU Trade and Technology Council.

At the working group meeting, which was attended by the representatives of civil society, business organisations and sectoral associations, IKV was represented by Secretary General Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Nas and Brussels Representative Haluk Nuray. Indicating the problems in the functioning of the Customs Union and the need for its modernisation, Assoc. Prof. Nas stated that the disruptions in world trade, the shifts in the global system and the EU's objectives such as digitalisation and the European Green Deal make the revitalisation of the Türkiye-EU relationship even more critical. Assoc. Prof. Nas noted that provided that the full membership goal was maintained, launching the Customs Union modernisation process would have positive effects on Türkiye-EU relations, the EU's role as a trade actor and the global trading system.

IKV Brussels Representative Nuray pointed out the need to accelerate the adaptation efforts to the "Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism" which the EU is planning to implement, and reminded that it would have a significant cost, unless the necessary preparations were made.