During the plenary session (26-29 April 2021) in the European Parliament in Brussels, MEPs debate on the conclusions of the European Council and outcome of EU and Turkey meeting: opening statements by Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council and by Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission. This transcription speech is the result of an automatic process. Check against delivery.

Brussels

statement

plenary session

EU - Türkiye (T)

joint debate

MICHEL, Charles (BE)

VON DER LEYEN, Ursula (DE, EC)

European Council meeting 25-26 March 2021 (T)

Joint debate on the conclusions of the European Council and outcome of EU and Turkey meeting: opening statements by Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council and Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, The next item on the agenda is the joint debate concerning the conclusions of the European Council and the outcome of the E.U. and Turkey meeting. I'd like to remind members that is now customary at this difficult time for all debates. In this part session, there'll be no catch the eye and no blue cards. President Michel, you have the floor.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, President, ladies and gentlemen, first of all, I'd like to thank you for this invitation extended to us for a debriefing after the visit to Turkey, but also after the European Council. And as you know, I've always had and still have at heart this strengthening of the links between the different institutions, the European Council, the European Parliament, working together for debriefings after the European Councils on a regular basis.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, I'll speak firstly of Turkey and our joint visit to Ankara before starting the other points on the agenda in the European Council in March. As regards the relationship with Turkey. As you know, this is a difficult one and has been for many years. We have discussed Turkey. We did so in the European Council 11 times since I started as president of the European Council, which shows the serious and sensitive nature of that relationship.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, In March, we adopted a clear statement, a solid statement expressing a possible positive but progressive, proportionate and reversible agenda with a rendezvous clause for the June European Council. And that agenda opened the way to that visit to Ankara. Regarding the protocol instant. On a number of occasions, I have expressed my regret publicly for the situation that was created.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, My apologies to the Commission and all those who felt offended. The facts behind it are well known. The Council protocol team did not get access to the meeting room before the meeting was held and the Commission did not send its protocol team in advance. The teams did not enjoy access to seat allocation before the meeting started.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, Ursula Von der Leyen and myself have committed to ensure that that situation can no longer occur in the future, and we've given instructions along those lines to our protocol and diplomatic teams. I know that these circumstances led a number of you to believe that at that point I should have taken a different line of conduct.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, And obviously I hear that criticism. But at that time, and without the hindsight we all have today, I decided not to react further so as not to create a political incident that I thought would be still more serious and would risk ruining months of political and diplomatic groundwork made by all our teams at a European level.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, Now, of course, I understand that the images will have offended many women, and I would like to reaffirm my total, full and absolute commitment to support women and gender equality. This is a matter that I have regularly dealt with in my political career. In our discussions with President Erdogan, President Ursula Von der Leyen and myself, both firmly and forcefully stated our positions as regards Turkey's withdrawal from the Istanbul convention.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, Several of you have written to me or contacted me over recent days to suggest that that incident be used to defend all the more strongly the role and rights of women. And I would like to grasp that extended hand and use that dynamic to make positive progress. For example, specifically, you can rely on my commitment and my best efforts to attempt to mobilise the member states to free up the deadlock on the directive on a better balance between men and women in non-executive board members for listed companies.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, And also I've committed on a number of other priorities with you, for example, on the crucial question of equal pay. So pay for men and women in the European men and women. The gap is currently 14 percent and hasn't shifted much over the last decade. And that's simply an unacceptable state of affairs. In the same way, I am open to looking at the possible formation in Council on Gender Equality.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, Ladies and gentlemen, allow me now to tackle the substance of the meeting in Ankara. The objective of the meeting was to try and bring Turkey very constructively or certainly less negatively towards the EU to try and snuff out tension and shed light on the rule of law, human rights. President Von der Leyen and myself together meeting with President Erdogan said we were committed to a positive but conditional, proportionate and reversible agenda.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, That presupposes progress on a number of fields such as human rights, but also relations with Greece and the Cypriot question. We have expressed our deep concerns about the rule of law, fundamental rights, the withdrawal from the Istanbul convention, but also freedom of expression or the targeting of political parties and the media. Extensive cooperation with Turkey is difficult to contemplate if negative measures were to continue in this field.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, Exploratory discussions between Greece and Turkey have begun. Discussions on resolving the Cyprus question should also be getting off the ground this week under the UN auspices. And we recalled that Turkey would engage constructively and we emphasised the role of the EU as an active observer in this UN process. We also identified the possible pillars of that agenda, which is to say economic cooperation, possible modernisation of the customs union.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, Secondly, the question of migration, the need to be engaged in good faith on this topic, but also interpersonal contacts and mobility. The question of the regional role of Turkey, of course, was tackled. Foreign affairs, geopolitical matters. For example, the situation in Libya, in Syria or in Nagorno Karabakh were raised. We raised the Libya Turkey Protocol Agreement on maritime affairs and clearly stated the council position on that matter and keen to state that before that mission to Turkey, I had the opportunity to travel to Libya and Tunisia in the two preceding days.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, In the European Council it was decided that in June the heads of state and government would again focus on that relationship between the EU and Turkey with a view to looking at the follow up on the basis of the progress we hope will be recorded in that relationship between EU and Turkey.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, As you know, we addressed covid-19 as a matter of priority during our discussions, we focussed on three crucial areas. First, getting our citizens vaccinated as quickly as possible. Some countries raised concerns on vaccine distribution and the imbalances between them. We reaffirmed the principle of sharing vaccines on a pro-rata population basis, and the question of governance was also raised by leaders.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, We tasked to prepare to address this issue in a spirit of solidarity, and I am glad that the solution was found the week after the European Council. Second, we discussed preparations for the lifting of restrictions and interoperable digital certificates. You will be discussing digital certificates on Wednesday. I hope trialogues will start as soon as possible.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, And third, the international dimension. The EU is a major exporter of vaccines around the globe. At the same time, we decided we would continue to strengthen our response to the pandemic through a vaccine sharing mechanism, in addition to COVAX. During our meeting, we had also assured information point on Russia. I reported on my visit to Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, We reaffirmed our five guiding principles towards Russia and agreed to return to the matter at our next European Council meeting. We adopted strong conclusions on digital, the single market and industrial policy and the economy and digital taxation. We prefer a global solution in the framework of the OECD, but if necessary, we are ready to move forward on our own.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, At our Euro summit, we adopted a framework to continue our common work on the international role of the euro. We will deepen our work on four main pillars: a staunch economic base, sound financial architecture, the digital finance and the green finance. We'll enhance our strategic autonomy while preserving an open economy. Finally, we welcomed President Joe Biden during the session.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, It was the first time in over 10 years we welcomed the president of the United States and we agreed we must join forces to defeat covid-19 and work closely together on vaccines and on supply chains. On climate, we welcomed America's return to the Paris agreement. We discussed safeguarding our common values in the digital world, and we acknowledged our wish to address geopolitical challenges together.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, We want to build on our friendship and forge a new trans-Atlantic mindset, a robust foundation for renewed cooperation. As you know together, which President Biden and President Von der Leyen, we will have an EU-US summit in mid-June. Dear members of the European Parliament, I believe the European Union must realise the level of its ambition and of his achievements, especially on the international scene.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, We are not as sweet as we think or as we say. Look at our influence around the world. Look at Georgia, Ukraine or Africa. Look at how we have influenced other nations to be more ambitious on climate. China, Brazil, India and the United States are following the European Union's example. Three years ago, we were only seven prime ministers to ask for climate neutrality by 2050. And now, carbon crisis has become a topical debate well beyond the European Union's borders.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, Look at how we have set global standards for digital. The GDPR is now a global standard for privacy. The US is following our example and is ready to work on a digital tax. And just last week, the EU was the first in the world to propose binding legislation on artificial intelligence. We are leading by example. The EU is sitting in the driving seat for renewed multilateralism and for pursuing its strategic autonomy. And we can do so much more. I thank you.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission, President David Sassoli, President Charles Michel, honourable members, I am the first woman to be president of the European Commission. I am the president of the European Commission. And this is how I expected to be treated when visiting Turkey two weeks ago: like a Commission president. But I was not. I cannot find any justification for how I was treated in the European treaties. So I have to conclude that it happened because I am a woman.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission, Would this have happened if I had worn a suit and a tie? In the pictures of previous meetings, I did not see any shortage of chairs. But then again, I did not see any women in these pictures, neither. Honourable members, many of you will have made quite similar experiences in the past, especially the female members of this House. I'm sure you know exactly how I felt. I felt hurt and I felt alone as a woman and as a European, because it is not about seating arrangements or protocol.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission, This goes to the core of who we are. This goes to the values our union stands for. And this shows how far we still have to go before women are treated as equals, always and everywhere. Of course, I know that I am in a privileged position. I am the president of an institution which is highly respected all around the world. And even more important, as a leader, I can speak up and make myself heard. But what about the millions of women who cannot?

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission, Women who are hurt every day in every corner of our planet, but neither have the power nor hold the office to speak up. When I arrived at the meeting, there were cameras in the room. Thanks to them, the short video of my arrival immediately went viral and caused headlines around the world, there was no need for subtitles, there was no need for translations. The images spoke for themselves. But we all know thousands of similar incidents, most of them far more serious, go unobserved.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission, Nobody ever sees them or hears about them because there is no camera, because there is nobody paying attention. We have to make sure that these stories are told too and that when they are told they are acted upon. The Istanbul convention is an important tool for that. In May, it will be 10 years since the convention was signed. It is a groundbreaking legal text and an inspiring document.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission, It is the first internationally binding instrument to take a broad approach to combating violence against women and children. The convention prohibits psychological violence, sexual harassment and stalking, and it outlaws domestic violence. I do not need to tell you how important it is, especially now in the times of pandemic. I used the meeting in Ankara to reiterate my deep concern about Turkey withdrawing from the convention.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission, The withdrawal of one of the founding members of the Council of Europe is a terrible signal. To be credible, however, we must not only criticise others. To be credible, we also have to act at home. You all know, several member states have still not ratified the convention and others are thinking about quitting. This is not acceptable. Any kind of violence against women and children is a crime. We must call it a crime, and it must be punished at such.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission, And this is why I want the EU itself to join the Istanbul convention. This remains a priority for my Commission. But as the EU's accession is stalled in Council, we will, before the end of the year, present alternative measures. We will put forward legislation to prevent and combat violence against women and children offline and online. And we will, my second point, propose to extend the list of euro crimes set out in the treaty to include all forms of hate crime.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission, Because Europe needs to send a strong signal that hate crime is not acceptable. Because we have to make sure that women and girls are adequately protected everywhere in Europe. Because what US Vice President Kamala Harris just recently said at the United Nations is true: the status of women is the status of democracy.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission, Equal rights for women are the foundation for the strength of our democracy. Not because women are better, because women are different. They have a different perspective on the world. We need a complete picture of the world and therefore we need women and men. It's only in this way we can take the right decisions and be at the top of our game. Friday, I was able to visit the Pfizer company and I met Dr. Türeci, who is a co-founder of BioNTech, the institute that developed the first MRNA based vaccine.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission, As a young girl, Dr. Türeci grew up in Istanbul with her grandparents, travelled to Germany later and studied medicine. Today, BioNTech, together with Pfizer, is at the very core of our vaccination strategy. This campaign is gaining speed on a daily basis. 129 million individuals have been vaccinated so far and 26 percent of Europeans have already received their first dose. And we expect a further 30 million doses to be delivered shortly.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission, And thanks also to Özlem Türeci. Just imagine the potential that could be unleashed if women enjoyed equal rights. This just shows us why we need more women in positions of power and why the European Union should set a positive example. That's exactly what we intend to do. For the first time in the European Commission, we have an equal representation of women and men in the College of the European Commission. And I hope to achieve this at every level of the European Commission.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission, We're not there yet. Nevertheless, women hold more than 40 percent of leadership roles in the European Commission. I now invite all European institutions to follow our example. Of course, the European Commission must do so, but the European Council and also other EU bodies still have a long way to go in this respect. The European Commission will very soon be organising a joint meeting with other EU institutions to discuss how we can improve.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission, Women represent half of Europe's population, and that must be reflected in the European institutions. Honourable members, at the March European Council, heads of state and government were very clear, the respect of women's rights is a prerequisite for a resumption of dialogue with Turkey and our common goals and objectives. But that's not the only precondition.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission, In Ankara, I was able to communicate once again that de-escalation in the eastern Mediterranean needed to proceed and that the human rights court conditions needed to be met and that these were preconditions for the resumption of economic ties with Turkey and for relaunching high level discussions on topics including climate change, public health and other regional issues.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission, If these conditions are met, then it will be much easier to release fresh money allowing Turkey to bear the costs incurred as a result of hosting four million refugees, Syrian refugees in Turkey. Ladies and gentlemen, MEPs, when we speak about respect and dignity. We should not make it just about gender equality. It's a far wider issue. We cannot tolerate that these non-LGBT zones are increasing in Europe. We can't allow the Roma to be discriminated against in Europe. And in no way should we put up with the ugly face of racism and nationalism that is appearing in every nook and cranny of our Europe. We deserve better.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission, And sometimes I am amazed that we even have to talk about such self-evident things in this year of 2021. That we still have to stress the point that all across Europe people must have the same equal rights and equal opportunities, regardless of whom they love, where they do come from. Regardless of how old they are and the faith they hold. Because this is the union I believe in, a union which lives up to its motto United in Diversity. For me, these three words have always expressed a solemn pledge at home and abroad, today and in the future. Long live Europe. Thank you.