Belgium's Deputy PM Prevot at TOBB: 'It's Time to Renew the Customs Union, Let's Double €12 Billion Bilateral Trade, Update the 1986 Belgium-Luxembourg Investment Treaty' (Made with Europe)
Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation, Maxime Prevot, told the Belgium-Türkiye Economic Forum at TOBB Twin Towers that the time has come to renew the Customs Union between the European Union and Türkiye. The forum was attended by TOBB President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, Flanders Investment & Trade CEO Piet Demunter, Voka Limburg Chamber of Commerce CEO Johann J.L. Leten and Deputy Minister of National Defence Musa Heybet. Prevot said: "It is not possible to run the way we do business in 2026 with a framework drawn up 30 years ago. The world has changed enormously. The world has perhaps changed 12 times in this period. That is why we absolutely advocate for the renewal of the Customs Union." Stressing that the Customs Union "has so far focused only on industrial goods, covering neither services nor agriculture", Prevot called the update "genuinely very important". He pointed to a well-integrated strong Turkish community of 270,000 people in Belgium, recalling that some Turkish citizens "serve as MPs and governors" in Belgium. He stressed that the depth of bilateral economic ties stretches back to the 1838 Belgium-Ottoman trade treaty, and said today's cooperation is built on that historical foundation.
Prevot shared that Belgium-Türkiye trade reached around €12 billion in 2025 and said the target should be to double this figure; he described this as "an ambitious but achievable and attainable target". He also stressed the need to update the Belgium-Luxembourg-Türkiye investor agreement signed in 1986, noting that "a political message has been given to update this agreement signed 40 years ago". In contrast to Europe's "Made in Europe" approach, Prevot said the Belgian government advocates a "Made with Europe" approach: "We want the process to be inclusive and win-win. We want this to include closer cooperation with countries — including Türkiye." Saying that the visit had been characterised as "the largest economic mission to come to Türkiye from abroad", Prevot noted that he had met with President Erdoğan, Vice-President Cevdet Yılmaz and ministers; he explained that they were in Ankara because "Türkiye's political heart beats in the capital". Pointing out that Istanbul's economic activity accounts for about 30% of Türkiye's GDP while 70% of economic life is in Anatolia, Prevot said: "Belgium wants to be a partner of the whole country; the Türkiye of the future is being built not only on the Bosphorus, but also in the Aegean, in Anatolia, on the Black Sea and in the South-East."
From a supply chain perspective, this statement is critical along four axes. First, that the renewal of the 1995 Customs Union — which "does not cover services and agriculture" — was voiced loudly by an EU member-state foreign minister on the TOBB platform represents the first open member-state-level support challenging the European Commission's "dialogue but no renewal" stance held since 2023 — it operates as the operational follow-up move to the Erdoğan-Mathilde Vahdettin Palace meeting (11 May). Second, the target of doubling the €12 billion Belgium-Türkiye trade to €24 billion implies a deepening of the role of Antwerp and Zeebrugge ports on Ro-Ro/container lines to Istanbul-Mersin-Tekirdağ — new transit capacity is expected to open for Turkish exporters on the combined services of CMA CGM, MSC, ZIM and ARKAS. Third, updating the 1986 Belgium-Luxembourg-Türkiye Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) will refresh a 40-year-old valuation benchmark on the ISDS mechanism, direct-investment protection and profit-transfer lines, and open a new corridor for structured credit / sukuk / project financing for Turkish companies through the Luxembourg financial centre. Fourth, the "Made with Europe" slogan offers an outward-looking spark from Belgium against the "EU-inward closure" current that has dominated EU industrial policy over the past 24 months — from a Türkiye perspective, this creates an opportunity for an operational channel for "third-country partner" status under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA), CBAM 2026 and the Battery Regulation, opening a concrete avenue for public/private players such as Eti Maden, EÜAŞ, BOTAŞ and ASELSAN-NETAŞ.
Key Takeaways:
1. Belgium's Deputy PM Maxime Prevot told the Belgium-Türkiye Economic Forum at TOBB Twin Towers that the time has come to renew the Customs Union.
2. Prevot said the CU framework drawn up 30 years ago focuses only on industrial goods and does not cover services or agriculture, stressing the need for an update.
3. Belgium-Türkiye trade reached €12 billion in 2025; the target is to double this figure.
4. A political message has been delivered for the renewal of the 1986 Belgium-Luxembourg-Türkiye investment agreement.
5. Belgium advocates a "Made with Europe" approach rather than "Made in Europe" — inclusive cooperation that includes Türkiye.
6. The forum was attended by TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu, Flanders Investment & Trade CEO Piet Demunter, Voka Limburg CEO Johann J.L. Leten and Deputy MoD Musa Heybet; the Turkish community in Belgium stands at 270,000.
7. Supply chain impact: first explicit EU member-state-level support for renewing the CU + deepening of Antwerp/Zeebrugge → Istanbul/Mersin/Tekirdağ Ro-Ro/container service (CMA CGM/MSC/ZIM/ARKAS) + a 1986 BIT update opening a new corridor for Turkish companies via the Luxembourg financial centre + an operational opening for "third-country partner" status under CRMA / NZIA / CBAM 2026 / Battery Regulation through "Made with Europe".
