EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen had to sit on a sofa away from her male colleagues when visiting Turkey.
Now she is making serious allegations.
Brussels - Ursula von der Leyen made a detailed statement on the so-called SofaGate affair during a debate in the EU Parliament. During her visit to Turkey at the beginning of April, the EU Commission chief had to sit down on a couch while the EU Council President Charles Michel, who was traveling with him, was given an armchair next to host Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Von der Leyen now revealed what she was like in this situation. "I felt hurt and left alone, as a woman and as a European," she said. Just because she was a woman, she was not treated according to her office.
Von der Leyen takes the incident as an opportunity to demand a stronger commitment from Europe for women's rights: "This shows how far the way is still before women are treated as equals." She herself is privileged because she can defend herself.
However, millions of women who are injured every day cannot.
Thousands of much worse incidents would never be known.
After SofaGate in Turkey: von der Leyen also criticizes EU countries
Specifically, it is about the Istanbul Convention for the Protection of Women from Violence, which came into force in 2014.
Von der Leyen criticized Turkey, which withdrew from the convention on March 19, 2021.
This is "a terrible signal," she said.
But the EU Commission head also sees a great need for action within the EU.
Because not all member states have implemented the convention, some are considering withdrawing from it.
This is "not acceptable".
She affirmed: "Violence against women and children is a crime, we have to call it a crime" and punish them.
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Top meeting in Ankara: The seating arrangement creates irritation and criticism.
© Dario Pignatelli / dpa
Von der Leyen refers to the six EU countries that have signed the convention but not yet ratified it.
These are Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
Critics in these countries often cite passages on rights of sexual minorities that would conflict with their traditional values.
Because of this, efforts are being made in Poland to withdraw the ratification.
According to SofaGate in Turkey: von der Leyen names conditions for closer cooperation
In response to this, von der Leyen wants the EU to finally have to become a member of the Istanbul Convention itself as an organization.
Although the agreement was signed in 2017, ratification is blocked in the Council of Member States.
The authority of the head of the commission will therefore propose “alternative measures” by the end of the year.
Von der Leyen named respect for women's rights as a condition for closer cooperation between the EU and Turkey.
This is an important prerequisite for the resumption of the dialogue and the expansion of joint programs, said the Commission head.
But it also calls for further de-escalation in the Eastern Mediterranean and the recognition of judgments by the European Court of Human Rights.
After SofaGate in Turkey: Michel did not want to ruin the preparations for the visit
Michel also had a say.
He had publicly expressed his regret and agreed with von der Leyen that something like this should never happen again, said the EU Council President.
He also heard the criticism that he should have reacted differently in the situation at Erdogan.
But he did not want to destroy months of work in preparation for the visit.
He expressed his unwavering support for equal rights for women.
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List of rubric lists: © Dario Pignatelli / dpa
