The fiasco that took place with Charles Michel-Ursula Von der Leyen’s visit to Turkey follows similar downward attitudes towards the EU, such as Josep Borell’s recent visit to Russia (see analysis entitled «How to Avoid A Repeat of a Devastating Visit by an EU High Representative for Foreign Policy to Russia»). From the Russian Foreign Minister to the President of Turkey, their behaviour shows that they do not take the EU particularly seriously in their contacts and in their plans.
by Thanos S. Chonthrogiannis
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The fact that there is no institutionalised mechanism and framework in Brussels to frame with strong offices and powers the personalities chosen in the positions of President of the European Council and the Commission respectively, constantly leads the persons occupying these EU institutional positions to accept decreasing attitudes at international level.
Photo by the website www.move2turkey.com
From the phrase of then US President Barack Obama who said that in a time of crisis I do not know which one to call on the phone in the EU has taken some time. The post of President of the European Council held by Michel emerged from the Treaty of Lisbon, which entered into force in 2009.
The then EU leaders did not choose a strong personality but an indifferent political figure who in his country was not involved in political life. Of course, the solution to the problem is not the choice of a strong personality by the major EU member countries, but at its early stage it would give even greater prestige and role to this institutional position and until things mature so that these two EU institutional positions are framed by superpowers.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was originally nominated to fill the first term of the President of the European Council. Tony Blair is the most pro-European British politician. The fact that his name was not included in the list of candidates despite the initial support of then French President Nicolas Sarkozy is due to chancellor Angela Merkel’s rigidity.
The advantages of Tony Blair’s candidacy were that as a personality he was a leading figure on the world political scene and could therefore give global prestige to this new institutional position at the time and would develop the link between the UK and the EU more productively.
His exclusion from the list of candidates at the time neutralized friend-European politics in the UK and made the momentum of Brexit strong in the June 2016 referendum.
Dem lessening behaviour towards Ursula Von der Leyen and the institutional position she represents will cost in the future.
Despite Von der Leyen’s embarrassment, she managed to keep her dignity and sent a message in favour of women and human rights and stopped at this point.
Of course, there will now be no sanctions for the Turkish President’s behaviour given Chancellor Angela Merkel’s tolerance of the Turkish President’s behaviour, improprieties, and excesses in general.
Only with a change of political scene resulting from the parliamentary elections in Germany in 2021 will there be EU reactions to Turkey. If the Green party wins the elections, which is overly critical and critical of the Turkish President, then the new Chancellor of Germany will come from the Green party.
Erdogan was jealous of the Russian President’s behaviour when in a meeting in Moscow with Chancellor Angela Merkel (2007) he appeared in the meeting room with his dogs to scare Chancellor Merkel and because she is afraid of dogs.
The EU is adjacent to authoritarian regimes that have different political values from liberal democracy and EU society (see analysis entitled ‘Super Mario Draghi’s use of the Term Dictator for Erdogan‘). What is certain is that in the future Turkish President Erdogan will pay a very heavy price for the humiliation of EU Commission President Von der Leyen and by extension of the EU.
