10-11 March 2021
EU-Turkey High Level Business Dialogue
The last edition of the EU-TURKEY HIGH LEVEL BUSINESS DIALOGUE convened online in the frame of the Turkey-EU Business Dialogue (TEBD) Project on 10-11 March 2021, bringing together 1,753 representatives of EU and Turkish business communities from 36 countries including business leaders, ministers, presidents, policy makers, and so.
The event was opened by Oya ERSÖZ, TEBD Project Director and speeches given by M. Rifat HISARCIKLIOĞLU, TOBB President and EUROCHAMBRES Vice President; Christoph LEITL, EUROCHAMBRES President; Ambassador Nikolaus MEYER-LANDRUT, Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Turkey; Gonca Işık YILMAZ BATUR, Turkish Deputy Minister of Trade; and Ambassador Faruk KAYMAKCI, Turkish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director for EU Affairs.
The main aim of the event was to discuss challenges and opportunities in the view of the EU GREEN DEAL. Moreover, it also focused on drafting recommendations from the business community towards policy-makers, with the intention of improving EU-Turkey relations and economic cooperation, and thereby contributing to the further development of the Customs Union and to moving forward Turkey’s EU accession process.
The event consisted of 4 Thematic sessions in which different topics were discussed upon:
- EU-Turkey Economic and Trade Relations and Common Challenges in view of the EU Green Deal
- Skills for EU Green Transition
- Recovery, Investment and Sustainable finance
- Circular Economy
With 4,160 viewers from all over Europe and Turkey, the EU-Turkey High Level Business Dialogue held an opening session, four thematic sessions, and a closing session via Zoom virtual platform and live streams, with speeches from EU to Turkey representatives that include trade, foreign affairs ministers, as well as Chambers in both Turkey and the EU. This two-day event brought together high-level representatives and participants from different parts of the EU and Turkey to touch upon mutual recovery during these uncertain times and find collaborative and successful opportunities that the EU Green Deal offers to both blocks.
The event was closed with speeches given by Ben BUTTERS, EUROCHAMBRES CEO; Ambassador Mehmet Kemal BOZAY, Permanent Delegate of Turkey to the EU; and Maciej POPOWSKI, Acting Director General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR).
In order to help repair the immediate economic and social damage brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, kick-start the recovery, and prepare for a better future for the next generation, it is important to have revamped long-term collaboration the EU Green Deal should also be seen in the context of the modernisation of the Customs Union between Turkey and the EU.
The circular economy and industrial decarbonization, where both the EU and Turkey have ambitious agendas, should become core elements of our future relations. Innovative Turkish businesses are an integral part of European industrial value chains, which makes them key partners in the sustainable development of the economy.
Did you miss the event? You can watch all the sessions HERE.
