Türkiye Odalar ve Borsalar Birliği

TOBB President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu stated in his speech that the business world supports Turkey's European Union membership process. Stating that in its history of over 50 years, the greatest achievement of the European Union is its expansion, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “The expansion process of the European Continent has promoted democracy, stability, security and prosperity. Therefore, expansion provides gains not only for the countries participating in the Union but also for the countries within the European Union. We, as the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey, as the business world, support Turkey's European Union accession process for this reason. The revival of the process, we think, is important for both Turkey as well as the European Union.”

Stating that as of October 2018, Turkey-EU relations have been diminished in their scope, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Items on the joint statement from the EU-Turkey Leaders Meeting on November 29, 2015 consisted of the following issues: Accelerating the accession negotiations, the opening of negotiating chapters, Customs Union modernization, visa liberalization, Turkey-EU high-level economic dialogue, the fight against terrorism, Turkey-EU summits - two annual summits, migration and Syrian refugees, a high-level energy dialogue, high-level political dialogue. These and similar, a large number of issues which would bring Turkey closer to EU accession, were on the agenda at that time. At the Varna Summit on March 26, 2018, the list of topics, unfortunately, has become very narrow. In the list are refugees / immigrants, combating terrorism, the rule of law in Turkey, Syria, Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea. This situation is extremely sad for the business world as the EU is Turkey’s economic partner.”

- Advanced integration

Stressing that Turkey's most important trading partner is the European Union, Hisarcıklıoğlu reported the EU comprised 45% of exports, 38% of imports of Turkey in 2017. Pointing out that trade between Turkey-European Union has reached around 150 billion Euros, the TOBB President said, “Turkey is the EU's fifth largest trading partner.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu reported that about 70% of foreign direct investment in Turkey is from the European Union and significant success in tourism is comprised of EU visitors. M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Turkey, thanks to the customs union, has achieved an advanced level of economic integration with the European Union. Do you know where the EU is importing the most cars today? From Turkey. Japan is second behind us, Korea is the third, the US is the fifth. On the other hand, most auto exports to EU countries in Turkey, ranked third after the US and China. I mean, we're really partners with each other; we need to support each other and win. I'm in the business world in Europe, under the umbrella of EUROCHAMBRES. As the Vice President of EUROCHAMBRES, I represent the European business world all over the world. This responsibility, this great honor has been bestowed upon me by the Turkish business world and the European countries business world. We are in favor of free trade as the business community. We want a free trade environment that is tied to more equitable, institution and rules. We want a medium more conducive to trade. Speaking on behalf of the business communities of both Europe and Turkey, customs union must be updated. A customs union prepared under the conditions of the 1990s is no longer sufficient. There are complaints of the companies operating in Turkey as well as those in EU member countries. We ask for your support.”

- Matters of visas

Stating that another area in which support is necessary is visas, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that this is made both on behalf of the Turkish business world and on behalf of the European business world. Pointing out that companies are facing issues with visas, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “In this regard, we expect the completion of the Turkey-EU visa talks. We, as the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey, strive to keep alive Turkey's European Union accession process. We focus on projects that will increase awareness. In this process, we are working closely with the European Union Delegation to Turkey. Currently, we are conducting the European Union Information Centers project, which aims to increase information regarding the EU as well as contributing to spreading awareness throughout Turkey.”

- Projects with EU

Drawing attention to the EUROCHAMBRES Turkey-EU Business Dialogue Project, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the project also aims to prepare the business world for the EU accession process. The TOBB President said, “We are also taking on a business dialogue platform and bridge function. Unfortunately, the only successfully functioning part of the Turkey-EU cooperation is the matter of Syrian refugees. With this project, we are contributing to the integration of Syrian refugees into the Turkish economy and social life. The project is carried out through the European Union resources with a total amount of 22m Euros.”

- Head of EU Delegation to Turkey, Ambassador Christian Berger

Head of the EU Delegation to Turkey, Ambassador Christian Berger, stated that the EU and Turkey are cooperation partners in the matters of the environment, refugees and chambers during this period, and expressed the need for more dialogue between the EU and Turkey.

Berger said that the growth in the EU economy continues; the demand for imports, consumption expenditures and employment have increased. The unemployment rate among young people in the EU declined to 14.8%, he said, achieving the highest level of employment in Europe so far.

Reporting that EU investments are still ongoing to Turkey Berger, said that 22,000 EU companies invest directly in the country. Underlining the need for clear direction in bilateral relations, Berger stated that improvements in relations between Turkey and EU countries have been observed.

- IKV President Ayhan Zeytinoğlu

IKV President Ayhan Zeytinoğlu gave information about the projects carried out by the foundation. Emphasizing that IKV is aiming to create awareness of the projects they are continuing with, Zeytinoğlu said that they made great efforts to this end.

Recalling the important developments regarding the EU accession process of Turkey Zeytinoğlu expressed hope that various disputes would not prevent the opening of new chapters. Indicating that they want to solve the obstacles before the Customs Union as soon as possible, Zeytinoğlu emphasized the importance of renewing the customs union with the EU as soon as possible.