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10 January 2025

Information and consultation meetings on the Green Transition and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) were held in Bursa under the coordination of the Directorate of Climate Change.

Hosted by the Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the meeting sought to strengthen the awareness and implementation capacity of Türkiye’s industrial sector in the context of the fight against climate change, with a particular focus on the Green Transition and CBAM. The sessions addressed the themes “The Green Transition and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism” and “National Taxonomy, the Green Transition in Industry, and Green Transition Finance Instruments.”

At the meeting, which opened with remarks by Deputy Director of Climate Change Mehrali Ecer, panelists examined in detail the topics “Green Transition in Industry, Finance Instruments, and Taxonomy,” “National Green Taxonomy,” “Green Transition in Industry,” “Green Transition Finance,” “Green Transition and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism,” “Türkiye’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification System,” “Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism,” “The Relationship Between the ETS and CBAM,” and “Carbon Footprint, CBAM, and Life-Cycle Analysis Calculation Standards and Differences.”

The meeting also provided briefings on the fact that carbon pricing under the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) increases costs in greenhouse gas–intensive, energy-intensive sectors, thereby creating the risk that companies may shift production to countries where climate change mitigation efforts are not at EU level—a phenomenon known as carbon leakage—and that the CBAM, which the European Union will begin implementing, will replace the free allocations provided under the ETS to prevent carbon leakage, bringing with it certain financial obligations. It was further noted that rights arising from special trade agreements between the European Union and Türkiye are being negotiated with the EU, and that efforts coordinated by the Ministry of Trade are under way to ensure that Türkiye is affected by the CBAM as little as possible.

The meeting also featured briefings on the details and implementation timeline of the Emissions Trading System planned to be established in Türkiye in the near term, as well as on the fact that a reliable, facility-based online data management system has been put in place to monitor greenhouse gas emissions in Türkiye and that, thanks to this system, greenhouse gas emission data from approximately 800 facilities have been monitored regularly since 2015.

Participants were also informed that the quality of verified greenhouse gas emission reports from facilities covered by the “Regulation on the Monitoring of Greenhouse Gas Emissions” is of critical importance for the planned “National Emissions Trading System,” and detailed information was shared on the Directorate of Climate Change’s efforts to ensure that system data are more accurate and reliable, alongside briefings on the differences and obligations between ETS, Carbon Footprint, and CBAM.

In addition, participants received updates on the latest status of the national green taxonomy and Türkiye’s roadmap in this area, while expert speakers also provided briefings on potential green finance opportunities and attractive credit facilities in the field of green transition.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Director of Climate Change Mehrali Ecer, Head of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Monitoring Department Volkan Polat, Bursa Provincial Director of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change Hayrettin Eldemir, TSE Bursa Regional Coordinator Mehmet Hüsrev, Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry Board Member Hakan Batmaz, Chair of the Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry EU Alignment and Green Deal Council Vedat Kılıç, TSE Environmental Surveillance and Verification Director Mehmet Ergün, Sustainability and Environmental and Social Impact Management Director at the Development and Investment Bank of Türkiye Mehtap Altuğ, Senior Sustainability Advisor at the Industrial Development Bank of Türkiye Ersin Türkmen, experts from the Directorate of Climate Change, academics, and numerous invited participants.

Following earlier information meetings held in Eskişehir, Denizli, Kocaeli, Sakarya, Konya, İzmir, Kayseri, Mersin, Adana, İstanbul, Tekirdağ, Uşak, and Aydın, the program continued in Bozüyük after the Bursa session.