UTIKAD Meets with the Head of the EU Delegation to Turkey

UTIKAD, the Association of International Transport and Logistics Services Producers, met with the Delegation of the European Union to Turkey at an online meeting on May 18, 2021. At the meeting, which was attended by the Head of the EU Delegation to Turkey, Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut and where UTIKAD Chairman Emre Eldener made a detailed presentation, discussions were held on all components of the sector in general, and also the status of the Turkish logistics sector during the pandemic process and the EU Green Consensus for the sector. The opportunities it brought were evaluated. At the same time, important points for the transportation sector were highlighted for the economic recovery after the pandemic.

The UTIKAD Board of Directors and the European Union Delegation to Turkey, which came together to evaluate the logistics activities between the European Union countries and Turkey, evaluated important topics regarding the Turkish logistics sector, especially the problems at the Kapıkule Border Gate. Railways, maritime and air cargo issues were also evaluated. In the presentation of UTIKAD President Emre Eldener;

• The difficulties faced by the logistics industry during the pandemic period,
• UTIKAD's initiatives for the Turkish logistics industry during the pandemic,
• Problems such as vehicle queues, transit quotas and visas encountered in Turkey's trade with the European Union and solutions to these problems,
• The necessity of prioritizing the logistics sector in vaccination,
• UTIKAD's activities within the scope of the Trade Facilitation Agreement,
• His work on the European Union Green Consensus,
• He expressed the need for uninterrupted and trouble-free transportation activities during the economic recovery after the pandemic.

During the meeting, which lasted about 2 hours, UTIKAD especially underlined the demand of Turkish vehicles, drivers and pilots to provide relief in logistics flows by solving the quota and visa problems. The delegations decided to continue joint initiatives and negotiations to improve logistics and transportation activities between the EU and Turkey during and after the ongoing pandemic process.

Participants of the European Union Delegation to Turkey

Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut - Head of the EU Delegation
Angel Gutierrez Hidalgo - Head of Economic and Social Development Department
Akif Türkel - Transport Program Manager
Göktuğ Kara - Transportation Program Manager
Alper Acar - Climate Change Program Manager
Deniz Atasoy - Trade Officer
Oya Sözöre - Transport and Climate Change Program Assistant

UTIKAD Participants

Emre Eldener - UTIKAD Chairman of the Board
Mehmet Özal - UTIKAD Board Member and Airline Working Group President
Nil Tunasar - UTIKAD Board Member and Innovation Focus Group President
Serkan Eren - UTIKAD Board Member
Cavit Uğur - UTIKAD General Manager
Sedat Özkazanç - General Manager of MNG Airlines
Alperen Güler - UTIKAD Sectoral Relations Manager
Melis Güven - UTIKAD Corporate Communications Specialist took part.