EU Industrial Accelerator Act Proposal: Turkish Goods May Qualify As "Made In EU"

On 4 March 2026, the European Commission published the draft Industrial Accelerator Act ("IAA"), a legislative proposal to strengthen European Union ("EU") manufacturing in strategic sectors including steel, cement, aluminum and automotive. The Commission's stated goal is to raise manufacturing's share of EU gross domestic product from 14.3% to 20% by 2035.

The IAA does not expressly mention Türkiye, but under Articles 8 and 9 of the proposal, content originating in countries with a customs union or free trade area with the EU is treated as equivalent to EU-origin. Accordingly, Turkish goods and companies will qualify as "Made in EU" for the purpose of certain public support schemes. Direct access to public procurement tenders, however, is still out of reach. As stated by a Commission spokesperson, Turkish firms would not currently be able to directly participate in EU public tenders as contracting parties.¹