Trump Tariffs without harming the Turkish economy and could stimulate EU links

US President Donald prevails over the scanning rates should not have a major impact on the Turkish economy and can even help Ankara strengthen its economic partnerships with Europe, according to experts.

Trump imposed different levels of taxes on imports on the countries of the world, taking a tariff of 10% on Turkey – the lowest level imposed.

Many observers believe that Washington has refrained from imposing a higher price in Ankara due to the good personal relationship between Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. However, trade relations between the two countries are already quite balanced.

For example, Turkey has only recorded a trade surplus of $ 200 million with the United States last year, exporting $ 16.4 billion in goods and large $ 16.2 billion.

Timothy Ash, a long -standing investor in Türkiye and financial analyst, said that Ankara has obtained the best possible result of Trumps' pricing policy.

It is good that we did not see the turkey in the headlines – it is always a plus, said Ash in the Middle East. The impact of prices on Ankara will be minimal.

ASH also noted that a potential world trade war triggered by prices could slow the world economy and lead to a drop in oil prices, a positive development for countries dependent on energy such as Turkey, which is a clear importer of energy.

ASH also suggested that prices could encourage European countries to turn inward and seek narrower cooperation with Turkey, especially in the field of defense manufacturing.

An economist of a large global investment company noted that Trump had already imposed a 25% tariff on Turkish steel and aluminum during his first mandate.

Now that the same prices are applied to all the main steel producers, Turkish Steel could become competitive again, the economist, who wanted to remain anonymous, said to me. Turkey is among the 10 best steel producers in the world.

Opportunities and challenges

Sinan Ulgen, a principal researcher to the Carnegie Europe reflection group, stressed that a 39% tariff on European Union goods could improve the competitiveness of turkeys on Western markets.

Although Turkey is part of a customs union with the EU, it is not forced to reflect the tariffs of the blocks against the United States, which gives Ankara a certain flexibility in its trade policy.

Ulgen said Ankara was likely to introduce a reciprocal rate of 10% on American products, but the biggest challenge would come from Chinese exporters.

They will probably increase their presence on the Turkish market to compensate for losses in the United States, posing strong competition from Turkish companies-especially in the Middle East and North Africa, he told me.

He also said Brussels could seek closer cooperation with Ankara in the changing world trade landscape, offering Turkey the opportunity to deepen economic and diplomatic relations with Western partners.

However, Ulgen stressed that such a partnership would require more than just transactional cooperation: it would need a shared commitment to democratic values.

While the EU has explored closer security cooperation with Ankara in light of decreased American guarantees, recent internal developments in Türkiye aroused concerns in Europe.

Last week, the Turkish authorities arrested the mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu, the main rivals of Erdogans in the next elections, on accusations of corruption.

This decision was largely condemned by EU legislators as politically motivated, some comparing it to the actions observed in Russia.

Ulgen noted that there had been a window of opportunity to update the agreement on unions or to grant travel without visa for Turkish citizens since Trump took up his duties.

However, the Imamoglu case may have closed this window due to concerns about democratic decline in Türkiye.