Why an EU-Turkey Customs Union Upgrade is Good for Turkey

There is growing recognition in Turkish academic, bureaucratic, and business circles that Turkey cannot afford to remain outside emerging trading regimes. Upgrading the Customs Union with the EU will not only compensate for the disadvantages resulting from being left out of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), but also increase the prospects of a bilateral free trade agreement with the United States. The two together would, in effect, be tantamount to Turkey’s participation in TTIP.