IKV Secretary General Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Nas attended the High-Level Economic Dialogue Meeting held in Brussels on 3 April 2025. The meeting was co-chaired by Türkiye’s Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek, European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity Valdis Dombrovskis, and European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, and its main objective was to strengthen Türkiye-EU economic and financial relations, while it was agreed that the next meeting would be held in Türkiye next year.

The joint statement emphasized that economic dialogue is a commitment to strengthening the economic and financial relations between Türkiye and the EU, and the meeting was described as a significant step toward improving relations, underlining Türkiye’s dual role as both a candidate country and a key partner of the EU. Furthermore, it was stressed that core values such as the rule of law, democracy, media freedom, and respect for human rights should serve as guiding principles for sustaining economic confidence and facilitating a favourable business environment, and that genuine efforts must be made in this direction.

During the intergovernmental session, recent economic policy developments and expectations in both Türkiye and the EU were discussed in the context of the current challenging and uncertain global environment, and the discussions also covered the EU’s recent efforts to enhance competitiveness and the structural reform steps Türkiye has initiated under its 2025–2027 Economic Reform Programme to boost productivity and support long-term economic growth, while the importance of improving Türkiye’s investment climate and increasing the involvement of the EU and international financial institutions was also highlighted.

As part of the economic dialogue, the Türkiye-EU High-Level Business Dialogue was also held, during which representatives from the Turkish and EU business communities, international financial institutions, and national development banks participating in the Türkiye Investment Platform came together and focused on opportunities to further advance Türkiye-EU relations within the framework of economic, financial, and investment cooperation, while particular emphasis was placed on enhancing competitiveness and improving small and medium-sized enterprises’ access to long-term financing.