Turkey’s exports to Germany bound by its human rights record

A new law in Germany that imposes companies to be liable by the violations of human rights and environment in their global supply chain will have a profound effect on Turkey's exports to Germany, Deutsche Welle Turkish reported.

Turkey will now have to take steps in areas such as occupational health and safety, combating child labor and environmental protection, if it “wants to break new records in exports and become Europe's China,” as the government pledges.

The new law which will take effect in the new year, will determine the fate of thousands of Turkish businesses that have commercial relations with German companies, and the performance of the Turkish economy. 

Industrialists and manufacturers in Turkey, who face challenges created by the controversial economic policies of President Erdogan and the increasing political tension ahead of next year’s elections as well as the turmoil in the global economy, will now contend for compliance with these new rules.

The law requires no child labor, compliance with occupational health and safety rules, respect for union rights and not confiscating immovable property unlawfully. Suppliers will also have to comply with the prohibition on non-discrimination on grounds of ethnicity, gender, political affiliation and sexual orientation.

Germany, the largest economy in the EU, is Turkey's number one trading partner. The trade volume between the two countries exceeds 41 billion euros.

Germany is also one of the foremost countries that invest in Turkey. 7,800 German or Turkish companies with German capital operate in Turkey, providing employment to hundreds of thousands of people.