Brussels, July 31 - European spirits makers, fresh from winning a fight against trade barriers in India, said on Tuesday they were gearing up to challenge rules in Turkey that they say discriminate against imports.
European distillers have long complained that drinks such as whisky and rum face Turkish tax rates which are double those on the locally made raki spirit.
Turkey also requires all imported spirits to obtain two separate import permits from different parts of the administration, and the process can change without warning, the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) said.
"A discriminatory tax and import regime is distorting competition in the Turkish spirits market, with European spirit drinks denied the opportunity to compete on a level playing field," said Nick Soper, the SWA's European affairs director.
He said the European Spirits Organisation, whose members include the SWA, plans to complain to the European Commission after the summer holidays, a move which could lead eventually to action against Turkey at the World Trade Organisation.
"We hope that early agreement can be reached on measures that will result in fair market access to Turkey for EU spirit drinks," Soper said in an emailed statement.
Turkey has a customs agreement with the EU and is in accession negotiations with the 27-nation bloc.
Turkish Finance Ministry officials said the country has no plans to adjust its tax rates on imported alcoholic drinks as sought by Brussels and said Turkey had a right to protect raki, the favourite drink of the nation's founding father Ataturk.
Raki has a market share of about 75 percent compared with 5 percent for imported whisky, the SWA estimates.
Turkey's ruling, Islamist-rooted AK Party has been reluctant to cut tax levels on alcohol imports as it has done for food and textiles products.
Earlier this month, India axed an additional duty on imported wine and spirits after the European Commission took the case to the WTO.
European trade chief Peter Mandelson has said Brussels will adopt a harder-headed approach than in the past to breaking down trade barriers for European exporters.