rsula von der Leyen, the president of the european commission, and her counterpart from the european council, charles michel, meet again on monday 12 april at 5 pm for their traditional weekly meeting. This meeting takes place in a very special atmosphere since it is the first time they have seen each other since the impact of the Sofagate. A case that tarnished the image of European diplomacy: in Ankara, the former German Defense Minister had to resign himself to sitting back on a couch, away from the President of the European Council, Charles Michel , and Turkish President Erdogan, both seated on a chair. This lack of taste earned the former Belgian Prime Minister a round of criticism, accusing him of a supposed misogyny, which he defended himself.
Charles Michel was expected at 5 p.m. at the Berlaymont, the European executive headquarters in Brussels, to meet Ursula von der Leyen. The two leaders are due to discuss the controversy over the Sofagate, an affair seen as a formal affront by Ursula von der Leyen. The Council services ensure that Charles Michel takes precedence for the international protocol, which the Commission disputes. The latter also claims the same protocol rank for the two leaders. 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 to Agence France-Presse. 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.
“I haven’t slept well at night since”
The text is analyzed as “a series of conditions” imposed by the Commission with the desire to “weaken the European Council”, a representative of the Council, the body representing the 27 Member States, told AFP. According to this source, “the Commission is taking advantage of the incident to call into question the treaties, in particular Article 15” which details the responsibilities of each. The European executive denied having such an intention: “We do not claim anything more than what is in the treaties”, assured Eric Mamer, spokesperson for the Commission. Pinned down by many European elected officials for his silence in Ankara, Charles Michel defended himself from any sexism, assuring in an interview to several European media that he had not reacted to avoid “an incident [diplomatique] much more serious ”with Ankara. And to add: “I do not hide from you that I do not sleep well at night since. ”

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