The recent visit of the two presidents of the European Union to the President of Turkey in a “3 people 2 chairs” diplomatic fiasco has made many people wonder why there are two presidents of the EU, and this incident also highlights the increasingly complex balance of power in the EU internal institutions.
European Council President Charles Michel and EU Executive Committee President Ursula von der Leyen visited Ankara on April 6 to meet with Turkish President Erdogan (Recep Tayyip Erdogan), and only two male leaders’ seats were prepared at the scene. The “3 people and 2 chairs” made von der Leyen dumbfounded on the spot, his palms spread upwards and let out a “uh” grunt, and finally sat down on a sofa in embarrassment.
This diplomatic indiscretion, dubbed “Couchgate” by netizens, has led to a series of allegations of Turkey’s attitude towards women and the EU, EU gender discrimination and political wrangling within the EU institutions, and members of the European Parliament have asked the two presidents of the EU to explain this diplomatic incident that is snowballing.
This also caused many people to wonder why a European Union has 2 presidents. Recall that in 2009, the Lisbon Treaty (Lisbon Treaty) came into force before the new European Council President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the original intention is to enhance the EU’s international representation and a common voice, and another new full-time President, compared to the rotation of Member States every six months as the rotating presidency, more stable leadership can be provided.
As for the division of labor, the President of the European Council mainly chairs EU summits and coordinates consensus building among EU member states. The President of the Executive Committee, established in 1958, represents the interests of the EU as a whole, in addition to drafting regulations and ensuring proper implementation of policies.
The EU’s push for this reform is linked to a widely circulated saying in Brussels that Henry Kissinger, when he was U.S. Secretary of State, complained about the non-existence of Europe and even said “who should I call in Europe”, highlighting the long-standing international perception that Europe does not have a The international community has long believed that Europe does not have a clear representative who can communicate with the leaders of other countries.
But The Wall Street Journal reported in 2012 that Tiszinger brought up the issue, saying, “I’m not sure I really said it, but it’s a good point.
The President of the European Council is elected by member states for a two-and-a-half-year term, renewable once, and has been held by Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Belgian Prime Minister Michel since 2009, after they left office.
At that time, Van Rompuy was criticized for being an unfamiliar face by the outside world for keeping a low profile and avoiding stepping on the halo of other member states and the EU Executive Committee, until the Tusk period when he turned to actively present the EU’s voice to the outside world, and he even made a shocking remark during the Brexit negotiations with the UK, saying that those who had no plan and did not know how to leave the EU safely, but rashly pushed for Brexit, “hell would reserve a special place for them A special place will be reserved for them.”
Michel and von der Leyen took office in December 2019, in addition to holding a press conference together 2 people on the subject of international affairs eloquently, each also often released a message with the leaders of the countries on the phone, although the number of leaders of the European Union to the outside world increased, but this incident also highlights the EU internal institutions of the balance of power increasingly complex issues.
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