The EU and Turkey held their third High-Level Dialogue on Trade in Brussels on 13 October, co-chaired by European Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and Turkey’s Trade Minister Ömer Bolat.
Bilateral trade between the EU and Turkey reached €217.6bn in 2025, with Turkey the EU’s fifth-largest trade partner, the European Commission announced on Wednesday.
Officials reviewed market access and customs issues and discussed areas for closer cooperation, with talks preceded by a business roundtable bringing together stakeholders from both sides.
One of the announcements was the removal of a barrier linked to import controls under Turkey’s TAREKS system — a risk-based system used for foreign trade imports into Turkey.
Customs Union and sanctions cooperation
The two sides also discussed customs cooperation, including EU customs reform and e-commerce, and progress on work towards mutual recognition of Authorised Economic Operators — companies that meet certain standards and can receive simplified customs procedures — the Commission said.
Turkey’s alignment with relevant EU legislation was also discussed as part of efforts to ensure goods can circulate smoothly under the EU-Turkey Customs Union.
Cooperation to prevent circumvention of EU sanctions was also reviewed during the dialogue.
