Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Speaking at the meeting, Prime Minister Yıldırım thanked the TOBB for hosting and stated that the World Customs Day theme was determined last year as “Digital Customs” and that many activities in Turkey have been successfully completed. 

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım stated that the World Customs Organization's “Data Analysis for Effective Border Management” was adopted by the World Customs Organization for this year's ceremony and stated that they would emphasize the contribution of the private sector organizations contributing to customs administrations and customs procedures to the customs activities of the data analysis. 

Prime Minister Yildirim stated that the Ministry of Customs and Trade has pioneered the “e-TIR” project, which is the technical infrastructure for the trucking system and that the project is a safe exchange of data and goods between national customs systems and other stakeholders.

Bülent Tüfenkci, Minister of Customs and Trade, remarked that important steps were taken in the field of economy as a government and said, “Everything in the economy is under control. We are taking measures that affect our economy and ease every business related issue.” Tüfenkci talked in regards to the various endeavors taking place at customs.

- TOBB Board Member İbrahim Burkay 

Speaking at the panel chaired by TEPAV Director Güven Sak prior to the meeting, TOBB Board Member İbrahim Burkay provided information on various activities. “TOBB, the umbrella organization of the Turkish private sector, has 365 chambers and commodity exchanges spread over 81 provinces, in 160 provinces and more than 1.5 million members, keeping the pulse of the economy under close watch. Our Union is a guarantor for the TIR System. In 2016, we provided bail of 15 billion Euros for our exporters. In this way, our country achieved a savings of 1 billion USD in foreign trade logistics activities.”

Burkay stressed that another important activity in terms of foreign trade facilitation is the modernization of land customs gates. “The Customs and Tourism Enterprises Co. Inc. (GTI) established in 2005 by TOBB and 137 Chambers and Commodity Exchanges, is modernizing border gates with the ‘build-operate-transfer’ model.”