Many countries pass national climate framework legislation that aims to pull their climate efforts together, offering a unified foundation that connects different strands of mitigation and adaptation into a single, coherent approach. In this global context, Türkiye presents an intriguing case. Türkiye has been a laggard in climate policy; its historical policy trajectory has been marked by reluctance and limited engagement. However, Türkiye has recently adopted a national climate law. This paper explores the reasons behind Türkiye’s recent climate law in the light of alternative explanations and demonstrates that mainly the EU’s CBAM altered the material interest calculations of the Turkish government, thereby triggering a process that resulted in the Climate Law. The paper conceptualises Türkiye’s policy shift as a case of interest-driven diffusion driven primarily by external economic pressures emanating from the EU, which interact with domestic authoritarian neoliberal mechanisms. Specifically, this study offers insights into how external pressures and domestic conditions interact to influence policy outcomes. Employing a process-tracing methodology, the study systematically analyses Türkiye’s external interactions, local developments, and policy trajectory.