THE EU AND
TÜRKIYE
#StrongerTogether
#EUEnlargement October 2024
Türkiye is an EU candidate country since 1999.
DECEMBER DECEMBER DECEMBER MARCH 2016 JUNE 2018 MARCH 2021 NOVEMBER APRIL 2024
1995 1999 2004 2023
Creation of European Council European Council EU-Turkey Accession Launch of positive Joint The European
Customs Union grants Türkiye decides to Statement negotiations agenda Communication Council tasks
between EU and candidate status open accession officially at a on the state of COREPER,
respecting the
Türkiye negotiations standstill, in line play of EU-Türkiye
competences
with the decision political, economic of the relevant
of the Council and trade relations institutions,
to advance
work on the
recommendations
of the Joint
Communication
EU support for Türkiye
The EU is the largest provider of financial assistance to
Türkiye. It offers a variety of programmes and instruments to
support Türkiye’s development and EU accession process.
Refugee support and border management
Since 2011, the EU provided close to €10 billion to assist refugees
and host communities in Türkiye. The EU provided support for basic
needs to over 1.9 million refugees, education services to close to
820 000 refugee children, and primary health care consultations
in 33.4 million cases. Moreover it provided equipment, technical
assistance and training for border protection.
The EU is largest trade largest largest provider of
Türkiye’s partner investor financial assistance
Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA)
In 2021-2023 the EU has allocated €751 million of
financial and technical assistance to Türkiye under IPA III.
This includes:
• €215 million for smart urban mobility services
through the SUMART programme.
• €206 million for the new public and private
investments under the European Fund for
Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+).
• €115.6 million for reconstruction after the earthquake
of February 2023.
• €105 million for rural development and agri-food
industry
• €9 million for organic agriculture and fisheries.
The Türkiye Investment Platform (TIP)
The Türkiye Investment Platform, established
in 2022 by the EU, is the main vehicle to channel
EU investments in Türkiye. The Platform supports
investment proposals by EU financial institutions in
the areas of decarbonisation, digitalisation, access to
finance, innovation, and green investments, through
a wide range of budgetary guarantee mechanisms for
public and private investments. It aims to generate What we are
investments to the value of €2.4 billion by the end achieving together
of 2027 in Türkiye, in cooperation with international
financial institutions. This includes: 23 770 micro, small and
medium-sized businesses
• Financing and Accelerating the Sustainable with improved access to
Transition of Cities (“FAST-Cities”). financial services and
financing
• Rehabilitating, constructing and extending
drinking water, sewerage and stormwater More than 150 000 jobs
networks as well as drinking water, wastewater supported or sustained
treatment plants, Greenhouse gas
for the provinces affected by the earthquakes in emissions reduced every
February 2023. year by more than
311 000 tonnes of CO2
• The Connectivity programme, promoting
investments into low-emission energy supply
projects, sustainable transport networks, digital
connectivity and digitalisation projects, sustainable
supply chains, and human development projects.
Close trade & 41%
investment links exports
The EU is Türkiye’s main trading partner, while Türkiye is EU’s
imports
fifth largest trading partner. In 2023, 41% of Türkiye’s exported goods
were destined for the EU, while 29% of the country’s imported goods 29%
originated from the EU. Total EU Foreign Direct Investment reached
€4.98 billion in 2022*. Overall trade volume reached a record high of
almost €206 billion in 2023.
The Customs Union Decision of 1996 established the liberalised trade
regime between the EU and Türkiye (removal of tariffs and quantitative
restrictions) while also establishing a requirement for alignment with the
EU’s customs tariffs and rules, commercial policy, competition policy,
intellectual property rights, and technical legislation.
Foreign & security policy
cooperation
Türkiye is an active and significant player in the area of foreign policy, which
constitutes a pivotal aspect of EU-Türkiye relations. Türkiye has some level of
preparation in the area of the EU Common Foreign Security and Defence
Policy (CFSP), and made no progress overall in the reporting period. Türkiye’s
very low alignment rate has further decreased and its foreign policy remains at
odds with the EU priorities under the CFSP in certain issues.
• Türkiye has embarked on a comprehensive vision in the diplomatic,
economic, security and defense spheres, diversifying partnerships and
asserting its strategic autonomy.
• Türkiye intensified its relations with countries in Africa, Asia, the Gulf and
Latin America, while increasing its regional normalisation efforts with the
Arab states and Armenia. On combating the circumvention of the EU’s
sanctions against Russia, Türkiye has implemented specific measures and
should continue to cooperate actively with the EU.
• Under the EU Common Foreign Security and Defence Policy (CSDP),
Türkiye continued to actively participate and substantially contribute to EU
crisis management missions and operations. © Murat Baykara
People to people
contacts
• Thanks to the EU ERASMUS+ programme, in the
past three years over 189 494 Turkish citizens have
participated in exchange programmes in the areas of
education, youth and sport.
* Source: DG Trade
ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement
facebook.com/EUnear | x.com/eu_near
© European Union, 2024
Reuse of this document is allowed, provided appropriate credit is given and any changes are indicated (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license). For any use or reproduction of
elements that are not owned by the EU, permission may need to be sought directly from the respective right holders. All images © European Union, © Adobe Stock and © Shutterstock, unless
otherwise stated.
