Turkish Trade Minister Ömer Bolat urged the European Union on Wednesday to include Turkey in its “Made in Europe” industrial plan, warning that excluding the country would hurt production, jobs and trade on both sides.
The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, unveiled a proposal in March that would require companies in sectors such as auto manufacturing and clean energy to use European products to qualify for public funding.
“Turkey must be accepted from the very beginning as an equal partner within the framework of the ‘Made with Europe’ concept,” Bolat told Agence France-Presse in Brussels, where he met with EU policymakers to press Turkey’s case.
Bolat argued that the policy should protect both sides’ interests in production, investment, employment and exports.
Bugünkü Brüksel temaslarımız dahilinde, Avrupa Komisyonunun Temiz, Adil ve Rekabetçi Geçişten Sorumlu Kıdemli Başkan Yardımcısı Sayın Teresa Ribera ile verimli bir görüşme gerçekleştirdik.
Görüşmemizde, Türkiye-AB ekonomik ve ticari ilişkilerini, AB'nin rekabetçilik ve ekonomik… pic.twitter.com/pcaHMf0rXe
— Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat (@omerbolatTR) October 14, 2026
The EU is debating which trading partners should benefit from the plan, with the commission’s draft already providing for products from customs union and free trade partners to count as goods of EU origin for certain public procurement requirements.
France wants public funding to favor industries based in the EU, such as green technology manufacturers, a position that puts it at odds with Germany and several other member states.
Turkey, a candidate for EU membership, has a customs union with the bloc under an agreement reached in 1995.
Annual goods trade between Turkey and the EU is worth 205 billion euros ($230 billion), with the automotive sector accounting for 55 billion euros, according to Bolat.
The minister pointed to European automakers’ operations in Turkey as evidence of the ties between the two economies.
European companies account for nearly 75 percent of Turkey’s vehicle production and have been manufacturing cars in the country since 1971, he said.
European automakers with operations in Turkey, along with those exporting vehicles to the Turkish market, employ nearly 250,000 people in Europe, according to Bolat.
Excluding Turkey could disrupt the 30-year customs union and the supply chains connecting manufacturers on both sides, he warned.
Bolat also pointed to public procurement rules Turkey adopted this year, arguing that they would give European companies equal access to Turkish government contracts.
The changes mean “European suppliers and Turkish suppliers can — and will be able to — participate in public tenders under the same, equal conditions,” he told AFP.
© Agence France-Presse
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