Convened by the group leaders of the European Parliament, Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel give their version on the Ankara “sofagate”. “A very embarrassing incident,” said the president of the European Commission Ursula.
“The three institutions should be on an equal footing when it comes to third countries,” added da Leyen, then identifying a gender dimension in the incident and linking it to Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention.
The German speaks of “humiliation” and “loneliness” in the face of the attitude of the colleague who – together with Erdogan – remains seated while she remains standing, forced to sit on a sofa at a distance from the two males. Michel apologizes to the leaders of the political parties in Strasbourg, but does not guarantee his presence in the plenary at the Eurochamber in two weeks, when the two presidents can report in the classroom.
The number one of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, opens the session with the group leaders, von der Leyen and Michel, underlining that the one broadcast on April 6 in Ankara is a lesson on the fact that “European foreign policy must be more coordinated, with a strategic vision “. Sassoli, opens the session with the group leaders, von der Leyen and Michel, underlining that the one broadcast on April 6 in Ankara is a lesson on the fact that “European foreign policy must be more coordinated, with a strategic vision”.
President Charles Michel said he deeply regretted the Sofagate incident and spoke of the offense to the president of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and to all women. The Belgian politician revealed that the Council Protocol Service did not have access to the meeting room with Erdogan, the one where the chair accident occurred, and that was a mistake. But according to Michel, showing failure with Erdogan would have jeopardized the work done with Turkey, recognizing however that the EU contribution has been dented by the incident.
Von der Leyen takes the floor after his colleague, remembers that Articles 15 and 17 of the Treaty put the institutions on an equal footing and then, in fact, says: “I felt humiliated, I felt alone as a woman, as president and as a European “. Von der Leyen then promised himself that what happened on the trip to Ankara will never happen again and that the missions will be prepared jointly.
In the end, they both commit to working to better coordinate overseas visits and avoid accidents in the future.