Türkiye

EU-Türkiye trade relations are based on an Association Agreement from 1963 and a Customs Union agreement, which entered into force on 31 December 1995.

Türkiye has been a candidate country to join the European Union since 1999. Accession negotiations started in 2005, but have not advanced recently. Türkiye is a member of the Union for the Mediterranean.

Trade picture

• The EU-Türkiye Customs Union has enabled bilateral trade to increase significantly, reaching a record high of almost €206 billion in 2023. 
• Türkiye became the EU’s 5^th largest trade partner in 2023, representing 4.1% of the EU’s total trade in goods with the world (compared to 3.3% in 2022). 
• The EU’s exports of goods to Türkiye totalled €111 billion in 2023. The EU’s imports of goods from Türkiye amounted to €95.5 billion. On both sides, exports of motor vehicles, machinery, and electrical equipment lead the way.
• The EU stands as Türkiye’s largest goods import and export partner by a significant margin. In 2023, 41% of Türkiye’s exported goods were destined for the EU, while 29% of the country’s imported goods originated from the EU.
• Total trade in services between the EU and Türkiye amounted to €35 billion in 2022, representing a significant increase from €24.2 billion in 2021. This accounted for 1.4% of the EU’s total trade with the world in services. Transport and travel services are the EU’s most imported services from Türkiye, and transport and ICT services are the EU’s most exported services to Türkiye.

*Services data is only available with a delay of one year.

The EU and Türkiye

In 1963, the European Economic Community (the EU’s predecessor) and Türkiye signed an Association Agreement (the ‘Ankara Agreement’), in which both parties agreed to progressively establish a Customs Union over a period of several years. An Additional Protocol was signed in November 1970, setting out a timetable for the abolition of tariffs and quotas on industrial goods circulating between the parties. The final phase of the Customs Union was completed on 1 January 1996 with the implementation of the Association Council Decision No 1/95 (the Customs Union Decision), which is currently in force. 

The Customs Union Decision both confirmed the liberalised trade regime (the removal of tariffs and quantitative restrictions) for all industrial goods between the EU and Turkey, and established a requirement for Turkey's alignment with the EU's customs tariffs and rules, commercial policy, competition policy, intellectual property rights, and technical legislation related to the scope of the Customs Union.

In addition, the EU and Türkiye have concluded two further bilateral preferential trade agreements. The first agreement, the agreement between the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and Türkiye on trade in products covered by the Treaty establishing the ECSC, established a Free Trade Agreement for coal, iron and steel products in 1996, along with relevant competition rules. Further to the expiry of the ECSC Treaty, the EU took over this agreement. The second agreement, Association Council Decision No 1/98 (amended by Decision No 2/2006), provides for preferential concessions on trade in certain agricultural and fishery products.

In December 2016, the Commission proposed to modernise the Customs Union and to extend bilateral trade relations to areas such as services, public procurement and sustainable development. The Commission proposal was based on comprehensive preparatory work throughout 2016, which included a public consultation with stakeholders and an impact assessment. However, the Council has not yet adopted the negotiating directives.

More information on the Customs Union and preferential arrangements

The inaugural meeting of a new EU-Türkiye High-Level Dialogue on Trade took place on 8 July 2024 in Brussels. It gave political steer to work on addressing remaining bilateral irritants to trade and allowed for a discussion on several areas of cooperation that would strengthen the functioning of the Customs Union, including the prevention of the circumvention of EU sanctions.

Joint Statement: EU-Türkiye High-Level Dialogue on Trade

The EU's engagement with Türkiye on trade, including the establishment of the new High-Level Dialogue on Trade, is guided by a joint communication.

Türkiye and the Union for the Mediterranean

Türkiye is one of 42 current members of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), which was launched in 2008 as a continuation of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership established at the Barcelona Conference in 1995.

This inter-governmental partnership promotes cooperation and dialogue in the Euro-Mediterranean region and brings together all 27 EU Member States and 15 countries of the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean (Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Palestine*, Syria – suspended, Tunisia and Türkiye; Libya is an observer).

The UfM’s strategic objectives are regional stability, human development and regional economic integration. Its overall aim is to transform the Euro-Mediterranean region into an area of peace, stability and prosperity.

More information on the Union for the Mediterranean

Türkiye trading with the world

In addition to the Customs Union and other agreements with the EU, Türkiye has 22 Free Trade Agreements in force with: EFTA countries, Israel, North Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Palestine*, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Syria (suspended), Albania, Georgia, Montenegro, Serbia, Chile, Mauritius, South Korea, Malaysia, Moldova, Faroe Islands, Singapore, Kosovo, Venezuela and the United Kingdom.

More details

Committees and Dialogues

The EU and Türkiye meet regularly to discuss issues and best practices and oversee the proper functioning of the Agreement.

Technical committee meetings - agendas and reports

Trading with Türkiye

• Importing into the EU from Türkiye
  • EU trade defence measures on imports from Türkiye
• Exporting from the EU to Türkiye
  • Trade defence measures in force in Türkiye
• Trade relations are part of the EU's overall political and economic relations with Türkiye
• Türkiye is a member of the World Trade Organization
• Sustainable impact assessment of the Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area (EMFTA)

* This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue.