BY ERKAN KACAN
German small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have turned towards Turkey to overcome the crises in the global supply chain and to reduce the freight costs, which soared to record levels with the pandemic. A delegation including representatives of the German Association of Small and Medium-sized Businesses (BVMW) and German Social Democratic Party (SPD) Deputy Dr. Joe Weingarten paid a visit to Turkey to assess opportunities between January 29 and February 9. The delegation, which met with nearly 30 institutions and organizations in Turkey, aims cooperate with Turkey in fields such as energy, health, and defense industries.
BVMW Representative Aziz Sevindik said that Germany wants to increase its supply from Turkey, hence the visit. “The crises in the global supply chain continue. As the increase in freight costs and energy prices deepens the supply problem, German companies are having difficulties in getting supply from China. In this context, Germany is taking steps to further develop both political and economic cooperation with Turkey,” he said.
There are already 7,000 German companies operating in Turkey and three million Turks living in Germany, which makes deepening the relationship logical, Sevindik remarked. “We had positive meetings with the Chairman of the Presidential Investment Office, the Deputy Chairman of the European Union Harmonization Commission, the Deputy Minister of Trade, the chairman of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), the Istanbul Chamber of Trade, officials from Teknopark Istanbul, and with mayors,” he said.
Sevindik stated that countries focused on energy transformation to prevent carbon emissions per the Paris Climate Agreement and the European Green Deal, including Germany, are looking for a new, Green supply market. “Germany is investing in line with its zero-emission target for 2045. The country plans serious investments in green hydrogen imports and Turkey stands out among potential suppliers from which to import green hydrogen. Germany aims to expand Turkey’s role in both product and energy supply,” he said.
