We present to your attention the EDAM policy paper titled “Is CBAM a Sign of Green Protectionism? A Perspective from Türkiye,” written by EDAM Executive Board Member Can Selçuki and EDAM Researcher/Analyst Ulaş Zal Akkaya.
This paper examines whether the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, whose definitive phase began in January 2026, risks tilting competition toward European producers beyond what climate policy requires. Focusing on Türkiye, with comparative lessons from Brazil, India, and South Africa, it asks when a legitimate carbon charge turns into green protectionism. It argues that the clearest risk lies less in pricing carbon than in proving emissions. Turkish producers, many of them relying on lower-emission electric-furnace steel, can compete on performance only if their plant-level data is recognized in practice rather than overridden by punitive default values. The paper calls on Ankara to build credible emissions records and a meaningful carbon price, while urging Brussels to keep defaults rebuttable and consistently credit carbon payments made abroad.
