In addition to being a candidate for EU accession, Türkiye is also a major energy importer and potentially significant transit country for natural gas supplies flowing from the Caucasus, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Central Asia to Europe. To this end, Türkiye’s role is vital in the development of the Southern Gas Corridor through the construction of the Trans-Anatolian pipeline. The EU cooperates with Türkiye to enable the integration of Turkish gas and electricity markets with the internal energy market of the Union. Additionally, Türkiye is an observer in the Energy Community and the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E).

A High-Level Energy Dialogue between the EU and Türkiye was launched on 16 March 2015.

The first meeting of this kind took place on 28 January 2016. A regular exchange of information on energy cooperation at the global and regional levels serves to benefit both sides considerably.