The real problem with the “Sofa Gate”

Robert Tyler | 19th April 2021 | Uncategorised
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers a joint press conference with the EU Council President at the end of a European Union summit in Brussels, Belgium on March 25, 2021.

The trip was supposed to reignite the spark of a relationship between the EU and Turkey – a relationship that has been strained over the last few years.

Sofagate is all that anyone in Brussels can talk about at the moment. The impromptu game of musical chairs that took place in the Presidential Palace in Ankara has launched a diplomatic spat between the EU and Turkey. However, the real criticism is not that being aimed at Turkey for the protocol snafu, but that being pointed at European Council President Charles Michel. For those not in the know #Sofagate, as it has been dubbed, revolves around the recent visit of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Charles Michel to Turkey. The trip was supposed to reignite the spark of a relationship between the EU and Turkey – a relationship that has been strained over the last few years. The trip seemed to be going well, until it was time for the photo. All three leaders arrived in the room to discover only two chairs – with Michel lunging for the one next to Erdogan, von der Leyen was relegated to the couch. What seemed like a diplomatic snub sparked a row that resulted...

Subscribe to The Mace

Join the member community shaping British politics and stay ahead of what's really happening in the world of politics and public affairs, with expert analysis, breaking news, and insider insights from Westminster and Brussels. The Mace is the leading news source and resource for the government affairs industry, offering required reading and lobby intelligence for professionals.

To see what you are missing out on by not subscribing to The Mace, click here to download our full membership info-pack. This includes having no paywall on op-ed content or profiles/interviews, allowing professional profiles to be read with maximum impact and visibility by government, special advisers, MPs, peers, civil servants, and policy and political decision-makers.



Clashing Tribes: The Longevity of ‘Us’ and ‘Them’ Politics

Mace | October 4, 2020

Whatever you think of identity politics, the social battleground between ‘Us’ and ‘Them’ is here to stay, argues Robert Ford.

Hard rain coming: Inside the Whitehall revolution

Mace | October 4, 2020

George Peel examines Downing Street’s ruthless approach to civil service reform

Long Table: Peter Mandelson’s Cosy Country Life in Lockdown 

Mace | October 4, 2020

Tucked away in Wiltshire, Peter Mandelson read his way through lockdown, when he wasn't zooming into the Lords

Protecting our Heritage

Mace | October 1, 2020

There is perhaps no organisation that exemplifies Britain’s regional spirit of place better than English Heritage.

The Scourge of the Political Celebrity

Mace | February 6, 2020

Political celebs don't win elections, they just get in the way

A Shakespearean in Downing Street

Mace | February 6, 2020

It was in another lifetime that Boris Johnson stood up – on the eve of the May era, in fact – and quoted Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar

Eton Mess

Ferdie Rous | January 31, 2020

David Cameron’s bio states that booking him offers an ‘unrivalled perspective on the future of the European Union’. This rings a little hollow when set against the referendum…

Happy Times

Mace | January 31, 2020

The strange hierarchy of the press gallery

The Seldon Slap

Mace | January 31, 2020

Sir Anthony Seldon's new book goes down well with Olly Robbins

Aggers for PM?

Mace | January 31, 2020

Jonathan Agnew – a politician?