Important messages from TÜSİAD Vice Chair B. Can Yücaoğlu

The Council of Presidents meeting was hosted by the Confederation of Danish Industry (DI) and the Confederation of Danish Employers (DA), the business representative organizations of Denmark, which will assume the EU Presidency in the second half of 2025. During the meeting, the European business community held discussions with Danish Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs Morten Bødskov and EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen. They also met with Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Minister for EU Affairs Marie Bjerre, Minister for Employment Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen, King Frederik X, and Queen Mary.

 The main agenda for European business representatives included competitiveness, EU energy policy, EU-US relations, and key international economic and trade developments. The BusinessEurope Council of Presidents Copenhagen Declaration, which includes the business world's expectations for achieving the goals of the upcoming period, was adopted. The declaration was presented to Danish Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs Morten Bødskov on the occasion of Denmark taking over the EU Council Presidency on July 1, 2025.

 The Copenhagen Council of Presidents Declaration states:

 The EU must pursue an ambitious international trade policy that protects European interests and seeks solutions through negotiations with the US.

Given geopolitical uncertainties, it is emphasized that trade and investments should be diversified to make Europe resilient and reduce risks; deepening relations with the EU's long-term partners, such as the United Kingdom and Turkey**, is also highlighted.

 The Copenhagen Council of Presidents Declaration also includes:

 Rapid implementation of the Single Market Strategy to remove cross-border barriers,

Taking additional measures to reduce energy costs and maintaining decarbonization while strengthening industrial competitiveness,

Concrete simplification of reporting requirements and the legal framework,

Implementation of ambitious research and innovation policies,

Social policy contributing to increasing European competitiveness and addressing the skilled labor shortage,

Ensuring Europe's security, defense, and resilience,

Creation of a Multi-Year EU Budget that can support European projects with the potential to create large-scale impact.

 TÜSİAD Vice Chair B. Can Yücaoğlu: “Turkey and the EU need to rapidly implement a common and holistic roadmap. Closer EU-Turkey cooperation in the energy sector, which is of central importance for competitiveness, is a strategic necessity. The Turkey-EU High-Level Energy Dialogue must be restarted without delay. Updating the Turkey-EU Customs Union is also a priority issue. This should not be viewed merely as a commercial matter, but as an integral part of Europe's innovation, security, decarbonization, and technological breakthrough strategy.”

 TÜSİAD Vice Chair B. Can Yücaoğlu gave the following messages at the BusinessEurope Council of Presidents summit and in bilateral contacts:

 “We must move beyond crisis management in the face of the challenges Europe is facing. Key EU policies for energy security, clean technology breakthroughs, and industrial decarbonization, such as Net-Zero Partnerships and the Clean Industry Deal, should be implemented in a way that includes Turkey. Closer cooperation in the energy sector should be one of the main components of the EU-Turkey integration partnership. The EU must demonstrate its political will in this direction and rapidly launch the EU-Turkey High-Level Energy Dialogue.

 It is time to talk about common gains instead of political obstacles in line with geopolitical and economic realities. Updating the Customs Union lays the groundwork for concrete economic gains, geopolitical resilience, and influence in all dimensions of the EU-Turkey integration partnership, including security and energy. Every moment lost increases vulnerabilities.

 While deepening economic integration through the Customs Union, we must also focus on initiatives in our region, primarily the reconstruction of Ukraine and Syria, in unity. It is important that Turkey be included in relevant EU mechanisms to create joint responses to the concrete needs of the region. This approach will increase the added value of the initiatives while also supporting more effective use of resources.”