António Costa will take office as President of the European Council on 1 December, as part of the EU’s new institutional cycle.
There was a changing of the guard in Brussels. Charles Michel, outgoing president of the European Councilpassed the staff (in this case the bell) to his successor Antonio Costa. Friday’s short ceremony was marked by: call for unity politics in the face of adversity.
Costa assured: “The only way to be truly patriotic is to guaranteeing sovereignty, building a common Europe. “Because only together we can defend security, stability and peace on our continent,” Costa said in a speech before a crowd of officials and diplomats.
“Union is the lifeblood of the European Union.”
Costa, the former Prime Minister of Portugal, will take office on December 1, coinciding with the beginning of Ursula von der Leyen’s presidency. European Commission. Costa’s term will last two and a half years, with the possibility of a single extension.
Von der Leyen and Michel were known to have a frosty relationship. Sofagate incident caused by the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A senior EU official revealed that Costa plans to close this chapter and “work closely” with Von der Leyen to “mutually strengthen their actions”.
A position without executive authority
As president of the European Council, Costa will be responsible for preparing and leading EU summits, where leaders set the political agenda for the bloc’s future. The position lacks executive powers and is largely representation and coordination.
The new president introduced himself as follows in his speech: bridge builder He argued that frequent and numerous “differences of opinion” between Member States should be respected rather than treated as “problems”.
Janis A. EmmanouilidisThe deputy director general of the European Policy Center (EPC) believes Costa will express his views while keeping all leaders on the same page.
Costa “will try to make it” commitments“Get consensus – hopefully something beyond compromise – but not to the lowest common denominator, because that’s not what Europe needs right now.”, Emmanouilidis declared:Euronews‘.
Once in office, Costa will be the most prominent figure of the socialist family in Brussels. Teresa RiberaFirst executive vice president of the commission. For the socialists, these two appointments are vital to maintaining influence as the bloc continues its shift to the right.
Antonio Costa’s agenda
Costa’s priorities will include: support for Ukrainedefense policy, competitivenessManagement of migration and reform of the EU Budget are issues that Von der Leyen also emphasized during her second presidency.
Another issue that needs special attention is expansionIt’s a sensitive area where unanimity among leaders is necessary to move forward.
Countries at the bottom of the EU: “without unnecessary barriers”
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine there are currently candidates to join the bloc (Turkey’s candidacy has been frozen for some time, Georgia’s has been frozen) suspended by decision of the current Georgian Government).
Costa believes that accession negotiations should proceed “without artificial deadlines, but also without unnecessary obstacles”. This moves away from the approach of Charles Michel, who founded the famous theory. 2030 deadline Assessing each candidate’s progress, the Commission refused to support expansion.
Costa in another breakup with Michel wants to ensure that EU summits last only one day instead of two, and drafting the results should be finished by the time leaders sit down, although this may be impossible for key debates such as the Budget.
The incoming president also wants to organize.”informal retreats“Outside Brussels’ institutional gray area so leaders can address the most important issues on the agenda.”without having to make a decision”The senior official mentioned above said the following. The first one will take place on February 3 and will be dedicated to Defense with the participation of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Costa, whose father is half French-Mozambican and half Indianspouse first person of color which occupies a high position in the history of the bloc.
