Knives out for Ursula von der Leyen as Charles Michel – a bitter rival since ‘sofagate’ – wants her BANNED from talks over whether she retains her role as president

The head of the European Council, Charles Michel, plans to ban Ursula von der Leyen from talks to decide whether she will retain her role as president of the European Commission.

The two have been bitter rivals since ‘sofagate’, which saw Von der Leyen left without a seat at a 2021 meeting between Turkey and the European Union to discuss women’s rights. Instead, she had to sit on a nearby bench.

Now Michel has proposed excluding Von der Leyen from a meeting between EU leaders and heads of state of member states next week, at which they will discuss who should take over the top jobs at the helm of the EU after the elections.

The European Council president said von der Leyen should be barred from attending the talks as she hopes to win a second term. Telegraph reports.

While the committee chairman is usually involved in council discussions, von der Leyen’s fight for a second term in office makes the situation unprecedented, as no other sitting committee chairman has attempted this in the past.

Now Michel has proposed excluding Von der Leyen (pictured) from a meeting between EU leaders and heads of state of member states next week when they will discuss who should take over the top jobs at the helm of the EU after last week’s elections.

Ursula von der Leyen was left irritated after being sidelined during EU-Turkey talks in Ankara in 2021 after her two male counterparts took the only available seats

But Michel faces resistance because he wants to exclude Von der Leyen.

“If he wants to eliminate her from the room, he must also eliminate himself,” said an EU diplomat Politics. Another source added: “There is some irritation.”

The latest twist in their rivalry comes after the ‘sofagate’ scandal in April 2021, when Turkish President Erdogan and Michel took the two available seats, while Von der Leyen stood awkwardly before taking a seat on a nearby bench.

Turkey strongly rejected accusations that it rejected Von der Leyen because of her gender, while Michel blamed Turkey – despite appearing not to offer his colleague his seat either.

The incident took place in Ankara on April 6, 2021, when Von der Leyen met Erdogan, along with her European counterpart Michel.

Video showed Von der Leyen standing to the side and uttering an audible “ahem” as Michel and Erdogan took the only two available seats – without offering her their seats even after she protested.

Instead, she was seen sitting on a nearby bench, some distance from the two men, as they had long conversations about Turkey’s relations with the EU, including Erdogan’s decision to withdraw from a treaty protecting the EU. female rights.

The images sparked intense criticism on social media and accusations of gender discrimination, with the hashtag ‘sofagate’ trending.

It was quickly pointed out that at previous meetings in Turkey, when both EU representatives were male, both were offered seats.

Ankara insisted that the EU’s own protocol requests were applied during the meeting at the Turkish presidential palace.

The two have been bitter rivals since ‘sofagate’, which left Von der Leyen without a seat at a meeting between Turkey and the European Union to discuss women’s rights. Instead, she had to sit on a bench

But Michel said the embarrassment was the result of Turkish services’ “strict interpretation” of protocol rules, and he deplored “the differentiated, even reduced treatment of the president of the European Commission.”

He said photos of the meeting gave the impression he was “indifferent” to the situation.

“Nothing could be further from the truth, or from my deeply held feelings – or even from the principles of respect that I hold so dear,” he said.

‘When we realized the deplorable nature of the situation, we decided not to make matters worse by creating a scene.’

Michel remained in the chair next to Erdogan for the entire two-and-a-half-hour meeting, while Von der Leyen sat on the couch.

Von der Leyen’s spokesman said afterwards that Turkey had violated the protocol by not offering her a seat, as it has done in the past with other male committee chairs, but that she decided to “prioritize the substance over the protocol” by to stay.

But, the spokesperson added, “Let me emphasize that the President expects that the institution she represents is treated with the required protocol, and has therefore asked her team to make all appropriate contacts to ensure that such an incident does not occur. will happen in the future.’

Von der Leyen later said in a speech that it “happened because I am a woman.”

Diplomatic protocol stipulates that the President of the European Commission and the President of the Council, who have equal rank, must sit equally.