Ankara wants unconditional start of customs union talks with EU
Serkan Demirtaş - ANKARA
Türkiye calls on the European Union to unconditionally start talks for the modernization of the customs union while expressing its discomfort about the postponement of the approval of a key report that draws a road map for the future ties between Ankara and Brussels at the latest EU Council summit.
“We are expecting the start of technical talks for the modernization of the customs union without any pre-conditions and we want the EU Council to give necessary authorization to the European Commission to this end,” diplomatic sources told the Hürriyet Daily News on Dec. 18 in Ankara.
Türkiye and the EU implemented a 1996-dated customs union agreement and they are yet to start to negotiate to expand its scope and modernize it in accordance with the current trends in global trade.
The EU has been delaying the launch of joint efforts due to political reasons. Brussels has once again delayed discussing the modernization of the customs union although a report penned by Josep Borrell, the high representative on security and foreign policy of the European Commission, calls on a start to these talks.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has expressed Ankara’s concerns and disturbance on the postponement of the report’s approval to Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi in a phone conversation late on Dec. 17, the diplomatic sources informed.
The next EU Council will be held in March but it is not sure that the report will fully be confirmed at that meeting.
On Borrell’s report, sources said it was constituting a first step for the improvement of ties between the two parties and called on the relevant EU institutions to get into action in line with the content of the report.
Unconditional talks
The sources underlined that the technical talks on customs union should be unconditional referring to the fact that the report creates a link between Türkiye’s performance in avoiding the circumvention of the EU sanctions on Russia with the start of the customs union talks. It also demands more a positive step on Türkiye for the resolution of the Cyprus problem on the basis of the U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Diplomatic sources stressed that Türkiye’s relevant institutions - foreign, trade and industry ministries - are continuing their dialogue with the EU bodies in addition to Foreign Minister Fidan’s engagements with his counterparts.
The two sides were planning to expand the scope of the customs union with agricultural products, services and public tenders.
Talks underway for visa facilitation
Another important step between Türkiye and the EU concerns facilitating visa procedures for certain groups, including businesspeople, academics, students, media and artists. “We have high expectations that we can conclude quicker visa procedures in 2024,” the sources said, adding talks with EU and individual EU members are ongoing.
“This visa facilitation process is developing without detriment to our objective of visa liberalization for our citizens,” they added.
Türkiye has six remaining benchmarks out of 72 for achieving a visa-free travel right to the Schengen area. One of the important benchmarks requires Türkiye to amend its anti-terror law and narrow its definition of terror crimes.
