Almost three weeks after the Ankara incident, Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel came to explain themselves to the European Parliament on Monday April 26.
The meeting was awaited with a certain feverishness by the MEPs, as relations between the two EU leaders have deteriorated since their trip to Turkey and the broadcast of this video in which we see "VDL" standing in front of the president. Council and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, already seated comfortably in their armchair, then relegated to a couch during the discussions.
Read also: The EU is sinking into the "sofagate"
During this debate devoted to EU-Turkey relations and to the last European Council, the President of the Commission has chosen to give pride of place to this affair, which she has obviously still not digested. “
I am the first woman President of the European Commission and I wanted to be treated as President of the Commission. In Ankara, this was not the case. There is no justification for this in the European treaties. It happened because I am a woman,
”she said straight away. “
I felt hurt and alone as a woman and as a European,
” she added. These remarks created amazement among some MEPs. "
She kidnapped the debate on Turkey
", we regret at the presidency ofa parliamentary group.
Wishing to be the voice of the difficulties encountered by women, “VDL” recalled the many challenges that Europe still has to meet in terms of equality between men and women. She spoke at length on the Istanbul convention, from which Turkey wishes to withdraw. "
Respect for women's rights must be a prerequisite for resuming dialogue with Turkey, but it is far from being the only prerequisite
", she assured, without fear of further complicating the difficult negotiations underway between the EU and Turkey. The President of the European Commission has also called on EU Member States to ratify this convention, because “
violence against women and children is a crime and it must be punished
”.
The real scandal in Ankara is little about who is sitting on a sofa or an armchair.
It is the violations of human rights that are committed there, the attacks on the rights of women.
Faced with this scandal, I would like Europe to wonder a little less where it sits and a little more how it should stand.
"
Nathalie Loiseau, Renew MEP
As he had already done, Charles Michel expressed his “
regrets
”.
"
We are committed, Ursula von der Leyen and I, that this situation will not happen again.
“, He promised, eager to turn the page as quickly as possible on this affair which damaged his image. Very attacked by several MEPs and for the sake of appeasement, the President of the European Council was keen to give pledges to women. He thus promised to put pressure on the Member States so that they adopt the directive on the presence of women on the Boards of Directors and that they reduce the pay inequalities between men and women. He even mentioned the convening of a summit devoted to gender equality, with the creation, within the Council, of a body dedicated to these questions. "
This body is a long-standing request of liberal MEPs
,
" one
explains in the ranks of Renew.Charles Michel then returned to "
substance
”, namely the future of relations between the EU and Turkey, a crucial subject if ever there was one.
"Not the priority at the moment"
While some MEPs expressed their unwavering support for Ursula von der Leyen for the affront suffered in Ankara, others regretted the proportions taken by this affair. “
The real scandal in Ankara is not knowing who is sitting on a sofa or an armchair. It is the violations of human rights that are committed there, the attacks on the rights of women. Faced with this scandal, I would like Europe to wonder a little less where it sits and a little more how it should remain standing,
”said MEP Nathalie Loiseau. “
The mission in Ankara had to be a message of strength. She was the one of weakness
», Deplored the German Manfred Weber, the leader of the EPP MEPs (pro-European right).
For some, the President of the Commission is waging a fight that risks, in the long term, weakening her in the European Parliament.
“
Many texts on the climate will arrive on which it will be very difficult to obtain a majority.
This is what she should focus on,
”we warn.
To read also: Meeting between Erdogan, Michel and von der Leyen: was the protocol order respected?
The direct and indirect messages of the capitals, in particular of Paris and Berlin, have multiplied in recent days in order to convince indifferently "VDL" and Michel to put an end to their dispute. "
They were told that it was not the priority of the moment to continue this battle
", slice a European diplomat. These queries seem not to have fully infused at this point. “
For the climate summit with Biden, they spent a lot of time figuring out who was going to say what,
” continues the diplomat. The "sofagate" will inevitably leave traces between the two EU leaders who will however have to work together for a few more years. Until the end of November 2024.
