The High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED) between the European Union and Türkiye was convened on April 3, 2025, in Brussels. The meeting was co-chaired by Valdis Dombrovskis, Commissioner responsible for Economy and Productivity; Implementation and Simplification, Marta Kos, Commissioner responsible for Enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood – on behalf of the EU and Mehmet Şimşek, the Minister of Treasury and Finance on behalf of Türkiye.
The HLED represents a mutual commitment to strengthening the EU-Türkiye economic and financial relations. It marks a step towards enhancing relations between Türkiye and the EU as part of the implementation of the recommendations outlined in the Joint Communication on the state of play of EU-Türkiye political, economic and trade relations from November 2023, according to guidance by the European Council. Türkiye is a candidate country and a key EU partner. In a challenging geopolitical environment, EU-Türkiye relations should be guided by values, such as the respect of rule of law, democracy, media freedom and human rights, which also play a key role in sustaining economic confidence and facilitating the business environment. A sincere engagement in this direction is of fundamental importance.
In the government-to-government session, the parties reviewed the latest economic policy developments and prospects in Türkiye and the EU, amid a challenging and highly uncertain global outlook. They also discussed recent EU initiatives on strengthening competitiveness and steps taken by Türkiye to advance structural reforms aimed at boosting productivity and long-term economic growth, as outlined in Türkiye's Economic Reform Programme (2025-2027). The two sides underlined the importance of improving the investment climate in Türkiye and facilitating increased engagement of EU and international financial institutions. The HLED benefited from the participation of the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Council of Europe Development Bank, whereby all the parties stressed the importance of the work undertaken by the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) to increase competitiveness, economic sustainability, and cohesion. The parties underlined the importance of coordination and complementarity of interventions by the IFIs in line with EU and Türkiye's policy priorities to bring out the maximum added value and additionality.
The EU-Türkiye Business-to-Business meeting, an important element of the HLED, brought together the EU and Turkish business community representatives, along with representatives of IFIs as well as national promotional banks participating in the Turkey Investment Platform. The business forum discussed ways to further enhance EU-Türkiye economic, financial, and investment relations, with particular focus on strengthening competitiveness and improving SME access to long-term finance.
The parties reiterated their commitment to maintaining a regular, open and frank dialogue, identifying and addressing common challenges and to continue cooperation in essential economic areas. In this regard, they agreed to meet next year in Türkiye.
