Declaration of intent for mutual recognition of electronic signatures in Türkiye-EU trade

In the written statement made by the Ministry, it was stated that studies on the subject were carried out under the leadership of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and the Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK).

In the statement, it was stated that an important stage has been reached in the cooperation process for mutual recognition of electronic signatures and seals with the aim of strengthening the digital dimension of economic and commercial relations between Turkey and the EU and facilitating cross-border digital trade. It was emphasized that at the EU-Central Asia Digital Connectivity Platform meeting held in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, on November 9, a statement of intent was exchanged with the European Commission to initiate the process for mutual recognition of electronic signatures and to explore cooperation opportunities. In the statement, it was emphasized that this development is an important outcome of the initiatives to strengthen Türkiye's economic and commercial integration with the EU in the digital field, and the following was noted:

"Within the framework of the technical consultations carried out for a long time by our Ministry and the agreement reached at the High Level Trade Dialogue co-chaired by our Minister Ömer Bolat, the issue of initiating technical studies in the field of mutual recognition of electronic signatures has been included in the common agenda. With the declaration of intent exchanged in Chisinau, the common will to develop cooperation in this field has been concretized, and the European Commission welcomed Türkiye's initiative and started to investigate cooperation options to financially support the process through tools such as the EU4Digital III Regional Programme. He stated that it was open."

The importance of digital connectivity is increasing in accessing the EU market

It was stated in the statement that the Customs Union between Turkey and the EU provides a deep economic and commercial integration between the parties, and that the increasing digitalization of trade and regulatory processes necessitates the development of this integration in terms of digital infrastructures and systems.

In the statement, it was underlined that the digital systems developed by the EU in the fields of product conformity, sustainability, traceability and customs procedures increased the importance of digital connectivity in Turkish exporters' access to the EU market, and in this context, cooperation on mutual recognition of electronic signatures and seals will support the effective participation of Turkish companies in the EU's digital trade and regulatory infrastructures, and will also be beneficial in terms of supporting cross-border digital transactions in areas such as remote participation in public tenders and remote monitoring of processes, as well as trade financing. In line with the declaration of intent, within the scope of the will to cooperate, a national working group will be formed with the participation of relevant institutions and organizations in Türkiye in the following period. The following statements were included in the statement:

"During the internal consultation process, the legal, administrative and technical issues required for mutual recognition will be evaluated. It has been agreed that the first technical meeting with the European Commission will be held this month. The Ministry will continue to work in cooperation with relevant institutions and organizations with the aim of developing the digital dimension of Turkey-EU economic and commercial relations, facilitating the participation of our companies in digital trade processes and strengthening the functioning of the Customs Union in line with the needs of the digital age."