Turkey – UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement

• The agreement establishes a massive reduction in financial barriers. Neither party shall increase any existing customs duty or adopt any new customs duty on an originating good of the other party.
• Duties on 80% of all tariff lines are included in the scope of concessions for market access (As explicitly stated in the CEPA: "With the Partnership Agreement, 80% of all tariff lines were included in the scope of concessions for market access in trade in goods.").
• For UAE products entering Turkey specifically, this provides better market access covering more than 83% of tariff lines and 93% of the value of trade with Turkey.
• Many products benefit from 0% tariffs immediately upon the agreement's entry into force (Justified by the '0' modality in the Turkish Tariff Commitment Schedules, which officially "indicates products where customs duties will be zeroed as of the date the Agreement enters into force.").
• Other products benefit from gradual tariff reductions over 3, 5, 7, or 10 years, or single-time percentage discounts ranging from 20% to 50% (Sourced from the '3-5-7-10' and '%20-%25-%30-%50' modalities in the CEPA, detailing that tax rates will "gradually decrease in equal amounts" to zero over the specified years, or receive a "one-time percentage discount rate," respectively).

*Tariff reduction data, including the 80% market access concession and specific discount structures (0%, 3-10 year gradual reductions, and 20-50% discounts), are based on the official Information Note on Modalities for the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the Republic of Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

• The agreement aims to promote an open and non-discriminatory environment for cross-border trade, including enhanced market access for service providers.
• It provides a wide coverage of areas including trade in goods, trade in services, and investment facilitation.
• It creates a bilateral preferential area designed specifically to help SMEs expand and engage in economic cooperation.

• It ensures the removal of unnecessary technical barriers to trade (TBT) for UAE and Turkish exporters by establishing the use of international standards as a basis for technical regulations.
• The agreement establishes clear provisions for intellectual property, technical barriers to trade, and sanitary and phytosanitary measures to eliminate unnecessary obstacles.
• It provides assurance that UAE products will not be subject to Turkey’s anti-dumping investigations if such products are merely transshipped.
• A Joint Committee has been established to continually assess, revise, and propose amendments to CEPA, ensuring that market access and trade conditions keep improving.

• Time is money, and CEPA prioritises speed. The agreement legally mandates expedited customs procedures specifically for goods entered through air cargo facilities.
• Customs authorities must provide for the release of express shipments as soon as possible after the submission of the necessary documents.
• The agreement allows for a single submission of information covering all goods contained in an express shipment, facilitating rapid processing.
• Certain goods can be released with a minimum amount of documentation.

• Say goodbye to heavy paperwork. Both nations have committed to providing an electronic environment that supports modern business transactions.
• The agreement mandates that electronic versions of trade administration documents be accepted as the legal equivalent of paper documents.
• Subject to applicable domestic laws, electronic signatures cannot be denied legal validity solely because they are electronic.