The diplomatic incident in Ankara this week, which saw Commission President Ursula von der Leyen relegated to a sofa while her two interlocutors – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and European Council President Charles Michel – sat in chairs , continues to shake the political world. While responsibilities are being thrown back (and new tensions arise between Turkey and Italy), the optical effect is very bad, for Europe, and for Michel himself.
It matters little that the institutional protocol gives priority to the President of the European Council. The criticisms rained down on the 45-year-old former Belgian prime minister underline his lack of refinement, point the finger at the difficult personal relationship with the president of the Commission and against the harmful diarchy at the helm of the Union. In a meeting with a group of European newspapers, including Il Sole 24 Ore, Charles Michel wanted to justify his behavior.
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“I’m very sorry about what happened. I have already expressed my regret to Mrs. von der Leyen and to all women – he explained -. I assure you that since then I have not slept well at night and that in my head I rewound the movie of the episode dozens of times. I take my share of responsibility. We will have to avoid such situations in the future. Unfortunately, the affair contributed to concealing the substance of the meeting with President Erdogan and in this situation the Union’s ability to show unity ”.
Why didn’t you sit next to Mrs. von der Leyen or did you not give her place in the armchair?
I had a few seconds to decide which attitude to have. At the time, my impression was that any reaction would cast doubt on the long diplomatic work that had prepared our visit. Furthermore, I did not want to have any paternalistic attitude towards Mrs. von der Leyen. Having said that, I respect the contrary opinions and I understand the criticisms that have been addressed to me.