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22 October 2025

Established under a memorandum of understanding signed between the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of Türkiye and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, the Turkish-German Climate and Environment Steering Committee (KUMLA) held its second meeting in Ankara.

Meeting in delegations, the committee serves as a platform for joint exchange, where needs are identified and ideas and approaches are developed to support the transition toward climate neutrality and environmental protection.

Chairing the morning technical session of the two-part meeting, Director of Climate Change Prof. Halil Hasar highlighted the long-standing and strong tradition of cooperation between Türkiye and Germany in the fields of environment and climate. “Environmental cooperation projects between the two countries are implemented within the framework of KUMLA’s work,” he said.

We consider KUMLA a symbol of the cooperation pursued by the two nations in advancing their shared climate and environmental objectives.”

Emphasizing that the strong economic and trade potential between Türkiye and Germany should be leveraged more effectively in alignment with common environmental and climate goals, Director Hasar made the following remarks: “We welcome the positive momentum in our relations and high-level engagements with Germany, a country with which we share deep-rooted historical ties and strong cooperation across all fields.

We hope that the Turkish-German Climate and Environment Executive Committee will serve as an effective platform for translating our shared vision into tangible outcomes.”

In his opening remarks, Director Hasar said: 

“Türkiye has demonstrated its commitment to climate change mitigation”

Climate change mitigation initiatives, including mitigation policies and the Nationally Determined Contribution, are critical not only to achieving our national objectives but also to strengthening solidarity in the global response to climate change. Within this framework, Türkiye has embraced, as a fundamental responsibility, actions that both safeguard its national vision and actively support global climate action.

The breadth and pace of these developments, achieved within a relatively short period of time, underscore Türkiye’s resolve and commitment to both combating climate change and adapting to its impacts.

Director Hasar also provided an overview of the mandate and ongoing work of the Directorate of Climate Change, addressing key policy areas including the Climate Law and the Emissions Trading System now in force, the Green Taxonomy of Türkiye, the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan, the Long-Term Strategy for Combating Climate Change, and the Nationally Determined Contribution.

Eva Kracht, who chaired the German delegation, underscored the importance of continued cooperation between Türkiye and Germany, noting that the meeting had been highly productive and that a wide range of issues had been examined in depth.

Following the opening remarks, and under the moderation of Director Hasar, representatives of the relevant institutions delivered presentations on a broad agenda, including the International Climate Initiative in Türkiye, the climate and biodiversity-focused IKI Policy Interface Project, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, the Memorandum of Understanding–Climate Finance Program–Türkiye’s NDC 3.0, MAF and the decarbonization of the industrial sector, the Turkish-German Energy Partnership, the MRV Project on the status of ETS progress in Türkiye, climate platforms such as the Industrial Investment Platform and the NDC Partnership, the monitoring of Zero Waste initiatives through DSYS, the priorities of the Türkiye Environment Agency, capacity building for NGOs and civil society, and digitalization.

The meeting, which was also attended by representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and other relevant ministries, continued with a session titled “Updates on Ongoing and Potential Bilateral Areas of Cooperation.”