Trade Minister Bolat holds talks in Brussels

BRUSSELS

Trade Minister Ömer Bolat has traveled to Brussels to hold talks with EU officials and company representatives.

“We are in Brussels to meet with leading representatives from the public and private sectors of the European Union,” Bolat wrote on the social media platform X.

“As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Ankara Agreement, we prioritize Türkiye-EU relations and engage in discussions with stakeholders. In this context, we had a meeting at the European Policy Center (EPC), a Brussels-based think tank focusing on EU issues.”

During the meeting, they exchanged views on the "Positive Agenda" in the field of trade and areas where the "Customs Union" between Türkiye and the EU can be further developed, Bolat wrote.

The EU is Türkiye’s largest trading partner.

In first nine months of 2023, Türkiye’s exports to the bloc amounted to $78.2 billion, accounting for nearly 42 percent of the country’s overall export revenues.

In September alone, exports to the EU increased by 4 percent year-on-year to $9.25 billion.

Last year, the EU absorbed 40 percent – or $103 billion – of Türkiye’s exports. In 2021, shipments to the EU generated $93 billion in export revenues.