Montenegro praises Costa, who thanks him for his support and promises “attention”

Three months after leaving the São Bento mansion after an unexpected dismissal, António Costa return this Monday as president-elect of the European Council for a lunch with the prime minister who succeeded him. Luís Montenegro took advantage of the statements to the press to list what worries him most in the European context at this point and also to swear his commitment to Costa. In return he heard the recognition of the support given to his election as president of the EC and also the promise of “attention” from Brussels, now without the need for translation.

Costa arrived in São Bento driving his own car, from which he got out to receive a brief hug from Montenegro and pose for the customary photograph at the door of the official residence where not long ago he was the one who received the guests. This time he had to give the left to the prime minister. Shortly afterwards, in statements to journalists in the palace garden, Costa promised Montenegro that he could “count on all the Availability, collaboration and attention.You will always have an interlocutor with whom you will not need to speak. translation”.

He also spoke of the “support and commitment” of the Government to make his election possible, recognizing “the effort what the Prime Minister did to mobilize the support not only of the EPP, but of the Council as a whole.” “It is a sign of the quality of democracy,” said Costa, who also recognized the commitment of Portuguese diplomacy and the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the process that culminated with his election at the European leaders’ dinner last Thursday.

“Whenever a Portuguese performs duties abroad it is a way of valuing the country,” said António Costa, who promised “honoring the trust” that they deposited in it. He took advantage of the day to illustrate with national football team who, tonight, “will also seek to honor the country”: “It is with this spirit that I will seek to serve.”

For the future, Costa said he will focus on “contributing to a broad consensus around the 27, exercising the external representation of the EU in terms of common foreign and security policy and contributing to the implementation of the Strategic Agenda [2024-2029] which the European Council approved at its last meeting.”

On the part of Montenegro, there was a clear pause in criticism to Costa’s executive abilities – which the Prime Minister has used in these first three months of his mandate – with a reorientation towards the “characteristics” that can serve the position he will now occupy in Brussels. He said that he had testified, at the meeting of the European Council, that Costa has the “Overwhelming confidence” of the leaders. “The characteristics for the performance of the functions have a broad consensus and augur that the work that will be carried out as a European Council will certainly be positive,” he praised, assuming the commitment: “Always count on the Government of Portugal.”

For the prime minister chosen by AD, “the availability of the Portuguese Government for collaboration and cooperation will be totals”. But it also left out the list of its main concerns, pointing to enlargement as the first objective of the consensus in Brussels, which will have “important implications” from the point of view of “changing institutional reforms”, but also the Strategic Agenda 2024-2029, the negotiation of a new financial framework, “the maintenance of cohesion policies” and also “participation in financing projects to leverage member states”.

He also spoke about “strategic objective” of the “water policy” and also the security and defense pillar, to affirm that the country is and has been “committed to guaranteeing aid to Ukraine” and “positive contributions” to resolving the situation in the Middle East.

António Costa will only take office in December of this year and from then on the meetings in which both will participate will be at the other table.