On 31 January, the Turkish business community, organised through the country's Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK), published an open letter as a paid announcement in the Financial Times.
The letter, signed by the heads of business councils from 26 EU member states, was addressed to top European Union officials, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
As reported by the English version of the Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak, key highlights of the letter include reviving EU membership talks with a call to revitalise Turkey's stalled EU accession process and restore mutual confidence through a "clear and unambiguous perspective".
The letter also highlighted customs union modernisation with an urgent request for what it described as the outdated Customs Union agreement to be modernised, to better integrate Turkey into the European economic ecosystem.
Moving on to strategic cooperation, the letter warned that stalled relations harm both sides, going on to emphasise Turkey's commitment to European integration despite long delays.
The signatories indicated that if no constructive response is received, follow-up letters will be sent, leading up to a high-level meeting in Brussels scheduled for 13 October.
