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Tension between EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen (l) and European council president Charles Michel was palpable over 'Sofagate' (Photo: European Parliament)

Von der Leyen: 'I felt alone as a woman'

EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Monday (26 April) blamed sexism for events earlier this month in Ankara, where she was relegated to a sofa during a meeting with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the presence of European Council president Charles Michel.

In unusually personal and passionate comments in the European Parliament, von der Leyen said "it happened because I am a woman".

In her most detailed account of the incident that became known as "Sofagate"...

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Author Bio

Eszter Zalan is a Hungarian journalist who worked for Brussels-based news portal EUobserver specialising in European politics, focusing on populism and Brexit.

Tension between EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen (l) and European council president Charles Michel was palpable over 'Sofagate' (Photo: European Parliament)

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Author Bio

Eszter Zalan is a Hungarian journalist who worked for Brussels-based news portal EUobserver specialising in European politics, focusing on populism and Brexit.

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