As part of the “Customs Union for SMEs” Project, study visits were paid both in Turkey and in Slovakia in order to determine the needs and expectations of SMEs and sectors from a modernized Customs Union Agreement. Our team came together with business people, companies and associations from a variety of sectors such as the chemical industry, logistics, machine manufacturing and agricultural sectors, and analyzed the output gathered from the interviews in the final project report. While visa practices, quotas and the negative effect of FTAs signed between the EU and third countries on Turkey were among the common problems and concerns raised, it was emphasized during the interviews that the 25-year-old Customs Union Agreement, which cannot meet current needs of the business world, should be updated.
