Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

The event, which was held within the scope of the Türkiye-EU Business Dialogue II (TEBD II) Project funded by the European Union and implemented by Eurochambres and TOBB, aimed to improve the investment climate in Türkiye by using EU-funded financial mechanisms, strengthening cooperation with International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and increasing interaction between public and private sector stakeholders.

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, Tamer Kıran, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of TOBB, emphasized the importance of strengthening the economic partnership between the European Union and Türkiye and said the following:

“Our strong ties make us a natural partner in fostering competition and innovation in both the EU and Türkiye. Financing mechanisms such as the one in place here and in the context of the Türkiye Investor Forum will enable Türkiye to foster a more entrepreneurial ecosystem, which is a win-win for both Türkiye and the EU. In this context, we highly value the ongoing cooperation between the Turkish authorities and the European Commission. We have a great opportunity to strengthen our economic ties in today's reshaped global trading environment. Let us continue to work together, faster and harder to seize it.”

Ben Butters, CEO of Eurochambres, Ambassador Thomas Ossowski, Head of the EU Delegation to Türkiye, Kerem Dönmez, Director General for Foreign Economic Relations at the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, and Gert-Jan Koopman, Director General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST) at the European Commission also delivered speeches at the opening of the Forum.

Three main panel sessions were organized during the event. The panel discussions focused on connectivity projects relevant to Türkiye, public investment priorities in Türkiye, and models of cooperation with the private sector.

The program also included a signing ceremony for the €20 million “Better Futures Programme” allocation by Gert-Jan Koopman and Wiebke Schlömer, IFC Türkiye-Central Asia Director.

The closing speeches were delivered by Serdar Öztürk, Deputy Director General for Financial Cooperation and Project Implementation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, and Gert-Jan Koopman.

This forum, hosted by TOBB, took important steps towards deeper and more structured economic relations between Türkiye and the European Union.