Türkiye ‘pursues freedom of transit’ for EU trade drivers

ANKARA

Türkiye is set to prioritize the attainment of transit freedom and the elimination of quotas applicable to transport drivers engaged in trade with European Union member states, daily Milliyet has reported.

As the Trade Facilitation Türkiye Strategy and Action Plan's four-year execution phase, aimed at curbing international trade expenses and expediting exports, draws to a close in the upcoming months, efforts to advance customs procedures that bolster Türkiye's potential to emerge as a hub for swift cargo transportation and transit trade are ongoing, the daily wrote.

Simultaneously, initiatives are underway to alleviate the steep costs associated with driver visas in international road transport, address the predicaments stemming from extended stays and dismantle the restrictive quota barriers impeding transit passage, the paper suggested.

Can Baydarol, an expert in international relations and the EU, told Milliyet the significance of striking an accord with the European Commission.

"An agreement with the European Commission would enable a seamless journey for a truck departing from Kapıkule [border gate] all the way to Spain," he remarked, underlining that relaxing constraints on Turkish drivers subsequently benefits Europe.

Baydarol further elaborated on the hurdles faced by Turkish drivers, citing the reduction in visa validity from a five-year term to periods as short as three months. Trade Minister Ömer Bolat's meeting with European Commission officials in the following month is poised to address the issue at hand, he informed.

The expert emphasized that the impediments posed by shipping restrictions would be detrimental not only to Türkiye but also to the EU. "Disruptions in the transportation chain arise due to impediments en route to and from the goods," he cautioned.