IKV attended the April assembly meeting of the Mersin Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) on 30 April 2025. The opening speakers of the meeting were IKV Chairperson Ayhan Zeytinoğlu, and MCCI President and IKV Board Member Hakan Sefa Çakır. The speakers of the meeting were IKV Secretary General Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Nas, Deputy Secretary General M. Gökhan Kilit, and Research Director Çisel İleri. The IKV delegation informed the participants about the recent developments in Türkiye-EU relations, the Customs Union, the Green Deal, and EU financial support.

In his speech, Chairperson Zeytinoğlu highlighted the critical role of green transformation for Türkiye’s exports to Europe. Stating that if the European Green Deal is not complied with, even the gains provided by the customs union may be at risk, Chairperson Zeytinoğlu said, “As the current problems of the customs union are not solved, we are at risk of losing what we have. Therefore, green transformation is very important.” Stating that various problems arose in the customs union when EU membership was not realised, Chairperson Zeytinoğlu drew attention to the imbalance in FTAs and the problems experienced in obtaining visas. Stating that the EU is focusing on green and digital transformation, Chairperson Zeytinoğlu stated that Türkiye can increase its competitiveness if it adapts to these transformations. Finally, Chairperson Zeytinoğlu stated that Türkiye ranks third among the countries that will be most affected by the SDCC and that carbon taxes could bring an additional cost of nearly 2 billion euros.

On the margins of the meeting, IKV Chairperson Ayhan Zeytinoğlu and his delegation visited President of Mersin Chamber of Commerce and Industry and IKV Board Member Hakan Sefa Çakır in his office.