Wearing a beret appeared in the German Parliament by the MP Marcel Bauer, so he was expelled from the room. Consistent or overly rigorous decision? Twice attempted to appear last week on the federal parliament, Marcel Bauer, a MP of the Left Party (Die Linke), wearing his beloved Black Bere. Both times it failed. For the first time, House President Yulia Klekner, from the ruling Christian Democrats (CDU), asked him to comply with the “habits” in plenary and to take out Berre or leave immediately. A similar reaction was made for the second time by Parliament Vice President Andrea Lindolz from the Conservative Bavarian Christian Socialist Party (CSU).

The House Regulation does not explicitly stipulate what is allowed to be worn in the room, however, provides that the clothing of Members should “be in line with the prestige” of Parliament. The interpretation of the provision is at the discretion of the bureau. Marcel Bauer has complied with the suggestions, but many commentators wonder: is Parliament’s prestige so vulnerable that he is in danger of a beret?

From the Basque in… Channel

After all, we are talking about one of the most sought after accessories in French fashion. Béret Basque was worn by Pablo Picasso, Catherine Denev and many others. Would it be forbidden to a female MP to enter the plenary if she was wearing a beef, combining it with a stylish Jacques of Chanel jacket?

Probably elsewhere is the problem. Because Beres is not excluded from conveying political messages. He has historically been linked to the Basque nationalists, while Che Guevara was “fashionable” in the 1960s, before the French moders followed.

Costume choices once and now

This is not the first time the appearance of a Member or Minister has been discussed. Many believe that specific costume preferences indicate a specific political footprint. A classic example is Yoska Fisher’s choice in 1985 to swear Environment Minister in the local Hesse government wearing denim pants and sneakers and of course no tie. All this was unprecedented for the data of the time. Fisher was the first “green” minister in the time and his costume choices suggesting a rupture with the “establishment”.

On the other hand, the Social Democrat Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has always been dressed in the pen, often even in costumes from well -known Italian houses. The coexistence of Schroeder-feather in the same government was indeed a challenge, not just a costume point of view …

Of course, the interpretation of what is “in line with the prestige of Parliament” can change, depending on the season and the social context. Some remember the Social Democrats MP (SPD) Lenelot von Botmer, who in 1970 “dared” to rise to the House of Representatives wearing pants. And this is stubbornly, because a few days earlier, the then Vice -President of the House, coming from the ranks of the Bavarian Christian Socialists, stated with anger that he would “never allow” a woman wearing pants to rise to the plenary.

But what about the pants? Just a piece of fabric. This is how independent Irish MEP Luke Ming Flagagan had to think about in times of pandemic when he attended a meeting of the European Parliament’s Agriculture and Rural Development without wearing his pants, because, as he claimed, he simply did not wear it …

All this at a teleconference, with Flanagan participating from a uninhabited hotel room. And here some people saw a social dimension throughout the case, sending the Irish MEP messages of support for the awkward moments that sometimes the invasion of technology in times of pandemic are reserved.

Most relaxed codes in Strasbourg

In general, it seems that the costume code is not as strict in the European Parliament, especially in recent years, as they have been “passing” more and more alternative or anti-systemic parties. We have seen many examples of classic French or British elegance in the seats of Strasbourg or Brussels, but we have also seen miserable jackets, overflowing t -shirts and motley accessories.

A typical example of special costume choices was the German MEP Stefan EK, a fan of fine arts and golf. It was constantly circulating with red tie and … yes, you guessed right … with a black beret.