Joint Press Release by Trkiye’s FM Hakan Fidan, HR/VP Kaja Kallas, and EU Commissioners Marta Kos and Magnus Brunner following their meeting in Ankara
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Trkiye Hakan Fidan, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos and EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner met in Ankara on 30 June 2026.
They discussed EU-Trkiye relations in a global perspective, recalling Trkiye’s candidate status and acknowledging the strategic value of Trkiye-EU relations in promoting regional stability and economic resilience in a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape. They reviewed issues of common interest including economic and trade cooperation, connectivity, migration, security and common challenges in foreign and security policy.
They reaffirmed the shared determination to take steps that would further enhance the cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship in these areas.
They agreed on the importance of regional stability and good neighbourly relations.
They voiced support to the efforts by the UNSG on the Cyprus issue.
The EU side stressed, in the context of enlargement, the need of strengthening the rule of law, the protection of fundamental rights and ensuring high democratic standards.
They exchanged views on recent global and regional issues, including Ukraine, Russia, the Middle East, Africa and South Caucasus, reiterating their shared interest and responsibility to address them through enhanced consultation and coordination, and their commitment to multilateralism and a rules-based multilateral order.
They agreed that the European Union and Trkiye share a commitment to upholding Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to supporting a just and lasting peace based on international law. The EU recalled the importance of preventing the circumvention of EU sanctions by all states.
They agreed to coordinate mutually complementary Turkish and EU efforts to better contribute to regional peace and prosperity across the South Caucasus, strengthening connectivity, trade and economic links. Together they will support concrete steps to this end.
They underlined the importance of strengthening dialogue and cooperation on security and defence matters in complementarity with NATO.
They reaffirmed their willingness to continue efforts to improve the implementation of the Customs Union while paving the way to its modernisation. Both sides underlined the importance of an inclusive and reciprocal approach in industrial policy for the competitiveness and economic security of the EU and Trkiye. They also agreed that Trkiye’s potential participation in the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) would be beneficial.
They discussed the current state of play in the Visa Liberalization Dialogue and exchanged views on matters concerning the visa application and processing procedures of Turkish citizens. They acknowledged the current geopolitical situation and its possible impact on population movements, raised shared challenges for the EU and Trkiye and expressed their determination to work together in addressing them, including enhancing cooperation on border management and fight against migrant smuggling.
They underlined the importance of cooperation in trade, energy, transport and digitalisation, also in the context of the regional connectivity agenda. In that regard, they welcomed the gradual resumption of the European Investment Bank’s (EIB) operations in Trkiye.
They agreed to meet again, and to schedule upcoming rounds of high-level dialogues preferably before the end of the year, including on economy, trade, migration and security, health, science and innovation and agriculture.
Commissioner Dombrovskis will be in Trkiye for a High-Level Economic Dialogue
Valdis Dombrovskis, Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, Implementation and Simplification, will be in Trkiye this Thursday and Friday for an EU-Trkiye High-Level Economic Dialogue. The visit will include meetings with Turkish authorities, international financial institutions and business representatives to discuss the economic outlook, competitiveness, economic security, and opportunities to strengthen EU-Trkiye economic and investment ties.
This will be the second High-Level Economic Dialogue with Trkiye since it was restored last year, as part of the EU-Trkiye reengagement and revitalised agenda that was endorsed by EU leaders back in 2024. Trkiye is a key EU partner, and the European Commission is committed to reinforcing EU-Trkiye cooperation, with more dialogue opportunities coming this fall.
On Thursday, Commissioner Dombrovskis will participate, alongside Trkiye’s Minister of Treasury and Finance, Mehmet Simsek, in the opening session of the Trkiye-EU governmental meeting. Their discussions will focus on the impact of the latest geopolitical developments on the global, EU and Turkish economies, economic security, and possible areas for deepening bilateral cooperation. The Commissioner will also take part in a session on the engagement of international financial institutions in Trkiye, together with representatives of multilateral development banks, including the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Council of Europe Development Bank.
The High-Level Economic Dialogue will be followed by a business session, which Commissioner Dombrovskis will open jointly with Minister Simsek. The Commissioner will then participate in a roundtable with businesses and international financial institutions on how to boost Trkiye-EU economic and investment ties. The programme will conclude with a press point, to be transmitted live on EBS at around 15:00 CEST, and a bilateral meeting between Commissioner Dombrovskis and Minister Simsek.
On Friday, Commissioner Dombrovskis will participate in a fireside chat with Sinan Ülgen, a renowned academic and Chairman of the Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies, at the Turkish Industry and Business Association headquarters. The discussion will focus on the broader economic and geopolitical context, economic security and the prospects for EU-Trkiye economic cooperation. This will be livestreamed on EBS at 08:30 CEST.
(For more information: Balazs Ujvari – Tel.: +32 2 295 45 78; Francisca Marçal Santos – Tel.: +32 2 299 72 36)
Commission seeks views on simplifying rules governing housing supply in Europe
The European Commission is collecting evidence on measures to simplify rules impacting housing supply and affordability, which will feed into the preparation of a Housing Simplification Package. The call for evidence targets national, regional and local authorities, as well as all stakeholders including the housing, construction, finance and civil society sectors.
The EU is facing a housing affordability crisis, and a fragmented landscape of rules in Member States leads to complexity, which increases unnecessary paperwork, delays and costs.
The Commission has made simplification a core part of its work, and has already proposed over 12 large-scale simplification packages, worth around pound 18 billion in administrative cost savings every year. The upcoming Housing simplification package is part of such efforts. Planned for 2027 under the European Affordable Housing Plan, the initiative will examine how EU legislation influences housing supply and affordability, with the aim of helping to deliver more affordable and sustainable housing.
Respondents are invited to submit evidence by 30 September 2026 on how EU rules affect housing supply, and practical suggestions for simplification and good practices. They should try to distinguish between effects resulting from EU legislation and those arising from domestic implementation or regulation. This exercise will help the EU identify, assess and address the underlying causes of regulatory complexity, delays and high costs, ultimately improving housing supply.
Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen said: “To build better, more and faster, the building sector needs simpler rules. We can’t combat the housing crisis without speeding up construction and renovation. We need to avoid unnecessary paperwork, costs and delays. With this simplification package, we will help deliver more affordable and sustainable homes across Europe without lowering our environmental and social protection standards.”
As part of the consultation process, the Commission is organising various workshops and meetings with Member States and local authorities, harnessing the potential of the newly established Housing Alliance.
More information is available online.
(For more information: Anna-Kaisa Itkonen – Tel.: +32 2 295 75 01; Cristiana Marchitelli – Tel: +32 2 298 94 07)
New E-commerce duty for small packages set to increase fairness for EU businesses and safety for consumers
Starting today, the EU abolishes an outdated customs duty exemption for e-commerce packages worth less than pound 150. The measure will help to ensure fair conditions for EU businesses and safe choices for consumers, in response to the surge of billions of low-value e-commerce goods entering the EU. Goods coming from third countries bought online and shipped directly to consumers will now pay a pound 3 customs duty per item.
The pound 150 customs duty exemption was designed for an era of occasional online purchases and less digitalised customs systems. This no longer fits reality, and its removal corrects a long-standing structural imbalance for EU enterprises. Across Europe, town high streets are becoming increasingly deserted, undermining local job opportunities and weakening community life. From an environmental perspective, the fast-paced e-commerce model contributes to packaging waste and carbon-heavy logistics, with frequent returns and long-distance shipping doubling transport pollution.
This measure restores fairness across importers, ensuring that EU retailers importing in bulk, and large-scale non-EU online operators compete under the same regulatory conditions.
European consumers are not responsible for paying the duties to the customs authorities.
Duties are collected by the customs authorities from the platforms, or any other business involved in the sale and transportation of the imported goods. Consumers buying online are therefore spared from additional payment at delivery.
Tackling increased risks for EU consumers
The rapid growth of e-commerce has also brought increased risks for consumers. A 2025 EU-wide investigation found that over 60% of low-value goods entering the EU do not comply with product requirements or safety standards. This means they can contain toxic ingredients or be incorrectly labelled, putting consumers in danger.
The new measure also introduces the need to declare product identifiers (PIDs). The inclusion of PIDs improves risk management and control procedures, helping to enforce prohibitions and restrictions. This will support authorities to more effectively detect non-compliant goods and expand controls beyond individual shipments, to cover all items presenting similar risks. This will apply on a voluntary basis from 1 July 2026 and will become mandatory as from November 2026.
A temporary measure until 2028
The pound 3 rate is a transitional solution, agreed by EU Member States, as an urgent response to the challenges arising from the rapid growth of e-commerce. From July 2028, the EU Customs Data Hub will become operational, applying normal customs duties based on the good’s tariff classification, origin, and value, in accordance with existing/standard EU customs duty rules.
Background
In 2025 alone, 5.9 billion items in low value packages from third countries flooded the EU market without paying customs duties. Every day, more than 16 million packages are cleared by customs to consumers in the EU. Today, low-value packages represent 97% of all imported items in the EU but they account for only 2% of the EU’s import value. As trade patterns shifts, competition in this economic sector is no longer fair. The exemption rule was routinely exploited through undervaluation of goods or artificially splitting orders into multiple parcels to remain below the pound 150 threshold.
The measure is part of the larger EU Customs Reform, agreed on by the European Parliament and the Member States on 26 March 2026. It is key for safeguarding the EU economy from distorted competition and protecting consumers from the risks of unsafe products. The reform represents a fundamental shift in how goods enter the EU, placing greater responsibility on sellers and platforms.
The reform introduces several targeted measures for e-commerce. In addition to removing the customs duty exemption, it introduces a handling fee on goods imported into the EU, to compensate for the increasing costs for customs authorities. The amount of the fee will be determined in a delegated act and be based on the minimum costs customs authorities face when processing goods. The fee will be introduced no later than 1 November 2026.
For more information
Questions and answers
Guidance document for Member States on pound 3 temporary customs duty
EU Customs reform
E-commerce data main page
Quote(s)
Open market, equal rules. The EU e-commerce market stays open – but it cannot come at the expense of European consumers and businesses. Goods entering the Union should meet the same standards of compliance and traceability as goods sold in our Single Market. Platforms and sellers profiting from European consumers must play by the same rules as European businesses. Scrapping the de minimis exemption simply brings our customs system up to speed with how trade works today – resulting in fairer competition, stronger enforcement, better consumer protection.
Maroš Šefcovic, Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security; Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency
(For more information: Olof Gill – Tel.: +32 2 296 59 66; Paula Ritter-Moschutz – Tel.: +32 2 296 40 83)
Commission seeks public input on its territorial cohesion policy
The European Commission has launched a call for evidence, inviting citizens, stakeholders, and regional authorities to share their views ahead of the preparation of the 10th Cohesion Report.
This report, a requirement under Article 175 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, will assess progress towards economic, social, and territorial cohesion across the EU. It will evaluate how cohesion policy aligns with key EU priorities such as boosting competitiveness and advancing the green and digital transition, while ensuring that all regions benefit from and contribute to the European single market.
A central focus of the report will be the mid-term review of the 2021-2027 cohesion policy, which led Member States to reallocate pound 34.6 billion in cohesion funds to support strategic EU priorities including competitiveness, affordable and sustainable housing, defence, security and civil preparedness, water resilience, and the energy transition.
While the report will draw on data and analysis from Eurostat and other Commission services, the call for evidence offers a unique opportunity for local authorities, businesses, and citizens to share firsthand experiences on how EU and national policies are shaping regional development and addressing key challenges.
All interested parties are invited to share their contributions by 11 August via the Have your Say Portal.
(For more information: Maciej Berestecki – Tel: +32 229-66483; Isabel Arriaga e Cunha – Tel: +32 229-52117)
European Parliament, Council and Commission receive Ombudsman Award for Excellence in Open Administration for user-friendly EU Law Tracker
On Tuesday 30 June, the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission won the category award ‘excellence in open administration’ from the 2026 Ombudsman Award for Good Administration for the EU Law Tracker. The Award celebrates projects by EU institutions, bodies or agencies that uphold and promote a culture of good administration in the EU and have a positive impact on the lives of citizens. The Law Tracker, launched by the three institutions, in cooperation with the Publications Office, is a user-friendly online tool that brings together key legislative information in one place.
The Tracker enables citizens to follow EU law-making from start to finish through a user-friendly timeline, with direct access to related documents. The Law Tracker demonstrates the European Union’s commitment to transparent, open, and accessible law-making. Since 30 April 2024, the pilot version of the EU Law Tracker has been providing full coverage of ordinary legislative procedures, the main procedure by which EU laws are adopted. It offers a customisable search function, along with real-time updates on new developments and recently published documents. The EU Law Tracker also includes the Joint Declaration Tracker, which tracks the ordinary legislative procedure proposals falling under the 2026 Joint Declaration on Legislative Priorities. Following the new refinements and updates, the tool is now fully operational.
The EU Law Tracker reflects the shared commitment of the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission to provide easily accessible information on the progress of EU legislation in all official EU languages. The main goal of the EU Law Tracker is transparency and traceability of laws for the general public.
(For more information: Balazs Ujvari – Tel.: +32 2 295 45 78; Antoine Lomba – Tel.: +32 2 299 32 33)
Annual EU Budget Conference 2026: ‘Boost Europe: Leveraging the EU Budget for Strategic priorities’
Tomorrow, the European Commission will hold its Annual EU Budget Conference 2026, under the title ‘Boost Europe: Leveraging the EU Budget for strategic priorities.’
This year’s conference will revolve around the importance of the Union budget to deliver Union priorities, enable policy action and catalyse private investment. The conference will also examine how to better leverage the EU budget to increase policy impact, while mobilising additional financial resources.
European Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration, Piotr Serafin, will bring together distinguished guests including Atanas Pekanov, Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Maida Gorcevic Minister of European Affairs of the Government of Montenegro, and Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Eurogroup President and Greek Minister of Economy and Finance. Members of the European Parliament, international organisations, regional representatives, CEOs, and stakeholders from the capital markets and real economy will also engage in conversations about the future of the EU Budget.
The full programme of the event and a link to livestream the event are available on the dedicated website.
(For more information: Balazs Ujvari – Tel.: +32 2 295 45 78; Isabel Otero Barderas – Tel.: +32 2 296 69 25)
Tentative agendas for forthcoming Commission meetings
Note that these items can be subject to changes.
Upcoming events of the European Commission
Eurostat press releases
Calendar items of the President and Commissioners
Individual calendars of the President and Commissioners
Entry into force or application of key legislation: 1 July – 15 August 2026 – This table tracks EU legislation entering into force or becoming applicable between 1 July and 15 August 2026. Each entry identifies the piece of legislation, the date, a brief summary and relevant links. Going forward, this table will be updated and published on the European Commission’s Press Corner on the first working day of each month.