A top Turkish official reiterated on Wednesday a call for the European Union to include Ankara in its new trade policies as the bloc looks to boost its competitiveness and drive strategic autonomy at a time of rising competition from China and the threat of U.S. tariffs.
Trade Minister Ömer Bolat said that the EU's emerging trade, competition and industrial policies should be designed to include Türkiye, arguing that such an approach would strengthen the bloc’s competitiveness and Europe’s economic security.
Bolat made the remarks in a meeting with Spanish Economy, Trade, and Business Minister Carlos Cuerpo in Madrid to discuss bilateral economic relations, Türkiye-EU ties, and recent global and regional economic developments.
"We discussed the EU’s recently implemented trade, competition and industrial policies, particularly the Industrial Acceleration Act (IAA)," Bolat said on Turkish social media platform NSosyal, referring to a draft bill introduced by the European Commission in March.
The bill includes a "Made in EU" designation, which sets local content obligations requiring a specific portion of goods in public procurement and support schemes to originate from the EU or customs union partners.
