IKV Chairperson Ayhan Zeytinoğlu commented on the EU’s “Made in Europe” initiatives and the problems in the customs union. Chairperson Zeytinoğlu underlined the importance of including Türkiye as well in the “Made in Europe” criterion, which sets out local content requirements that the EU plans to introduce in particular for public procurement.

Chairperson Zeytinoğlu said the following:

“The EU is also following the protectionist trend in the world economy.
The draft of the ‘Industrial Accelerator Act,’ which we expect to be announced in relation to the ‘Made in Europe’ criteria that are still at the design stage, has not yet been published. However, our expectation is that, especially in public procurement, a decisive EU content threshold will be introduced in critical sectors such as automotive, advanced technology, batteries, and renewable energy. In view of global protectionism, such measures that the EU aims to introduce in order to support its own industry, reduce external dependence, and increase competitiveness in critical sectors are understandable.
What is critical for Türkiye here is that production in Türkiye should also be included in the ‘Made in Europe’ definition. The customs union has made Turkish industry an important component of the European economy. Just as the EU defines the Green Deal, which introduced the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, as a ‘European’ Green Deal and expects Türkiye to align with this process, Türkiye should also be part of this definition as a customs union partner and candidate country. In addition, issues such as how the definition of local content will be determined and what course will be followed in cases where input products used in production are imported must also be clarified.”

Referring also to the speech of Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek in Saudi Arabia, Chairperson Zeytinoğlu made the following points:

“Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek drew attention to an important issue and noted that around 62% of Türkiye’s exports are carried out by foreign direct investments. Indeed, when we say that 42% of Türkiye’s exports go to the EU, it is also worth emphasising that two-thirds of these exports actually come from factories in Türkiye that are European investments. In other words, the products manufactured in Türkiye and exported to the European market are already the output of European investments. Excluding Türkiye from ‘Made in Europe’ would mean punishing not only Turkish producers but also European companies. Similarly, in issues such as the quotas applied to transport or the exclusion of Türkiye from the EU’s FTAs, the fact that Turkish industry is put at a disadvantage actually means that European investors who take Türkiye’s position in the European market seriously are put at a disadvantage. We must explain this issue clearly to our friends in the EU.”