IKV Chairperson Ayhan Zeytinoğlu took part in the delegation that Trade Minister Prof. Ömer Bolat led to Brussels on 7 January 2026 to mark the 30th anniversary of the customs union. As part of the programme, the delegation visited Türkiye’s Permanent Representation to the EU, where they met with diplomats working there and received information about Türkiye-EU relations and the activities carried out by the Permanent Representation. 

Chairperson Zeytinoğlu met with MHP Deputy Chairman and Ankara MP Mevlüt Kayakaya, AK Party MPs Ziya Altunyaldız and İsmail Emrah Karayel, and trade advisers at the TOBB-IKV Brussels Office. During the meeting, Zeytinoğlu discussed the process of updating the customs union, visa liberalisation, and the impact of the EU’s “Made in Europe” approach on trade relations, emphasising the importance of Turkish industry in the EU’s supply chains. In his speech, Zeytinoğlu expressed the need for Türkiye to be included in the Union’s policies on reindustrialisation and support for European industry in critical sectors.