It was the first time the two leaders had spoken to each other since the incident, despite attempts by Charles Michel to contact Ursula von der Leyen.
The President of the European Commission received her counterpart, the President of the European Council, on Monday for the first time since the protocol incident at the “Sofagate” in Ankara.
And the message is clear: she “will not allow such a situation to happen again”.
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"Sofagate": five minutes to understand this European diplomatic incident
The controversy over the precedence given to Charles Michel during their meeting on Tuesday April 6 in Ankara with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was seen as an affront by Ursula von der Leyen.
The President of the Commission had been placed back on a couch, while Charles Michel, representative of the Member States of the EU, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan took their seats in the only two armchairs available.
Ursula von der Leyen must have sat down on a sofa to the left of the picture.
EUROPEAN UNION
The interview took place at the Berlaymont, headquarters of the European Commission, and lasted nearly two hours.
Charles Michel for his part reiterated "his deep regrets" for the Ankara incident and assured "that such an incident must not happen again," said his spokesperson.
The President of the European Council had already explained in a press release posted on Facebook, the day after the “sofagate”.
He assured that he had not reacted to avoid "a much more serious (diplomatic) incident" with Ankara.
This Tuesday, Ursula von der Leyen and I participated in a meeting in Ankara with Turkish President Recep ...
Posted by Charles MICHEL on Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Pinned down by many European elected officials for his silence in Ankara, Charles Michel has defended himself from all sexism and confides: "I do not hide from you that I have not slept well at night since".
Its services ensure that the presidency of the European Council takes precedence over international protocol.
The Commission disputes this reading and demands the same protocol rank for the two leaders.
A different interpretation of the texts
Ursula von der Leyen asked her services to contact their counterparts in the Council to "find a modus vivendi in order to avoid such situations in the future", explained her spokesperson Eric Mamer earlier in the day.
A memorandum which sets out in five points the requests of the President of the Commission on the basis of "the interpretation of the rules in force", was sent by e-mail to Charles Michel's staff.
The text is analyzed as "a series of conditions" imposed by the Commission with the desire "to weaken the European Council", said a representative of the Council, the body representing the 27 Member States.
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"The Commission is taking advantage of the incident to call into question the treaties, in particular Article 15" which details the responsibilities of each, he maintains.
The European executive denied having such an intention: "We do not claim anything more than what is in the treaties", assured Eric Mamer.
The presidents of the two institutions will be heard Tuesday at the end of the day by the heads of the political groups in the European Parliament, where a debate on the “Sofagate” has been called for.
