The former Portuguese prime minister says he has “a very good personal and political relationship” with Von der Leyen. Costa took on the challenge of “closing the gap between European citizens and the EU institutions.”
The elected president of the European Council who will take office on December 1, António Costa, promised this Friday “unity among all” to the leaders of the European Union when he leads the institution, arguing that “time should not be wasted” with conclusions written.
“My main mission is to guarantee unity among all… And that means being in permanent contact,” declared António Costa, in statements to international media in Brussels, cited by the online newspaper Politico, which highlights the fact that Costa is the first president of the European Council of “an ethnic minority”.
“Even in the most critical moments, such as those we have experienced since Russia invaded Ukraine, the Council [Europeu] He was always able to make decisions. […] Sometimes it was necessary to hold another summit, but it was always possible to reach an agreement,” he explained.
Underlining his intention to achieve this unity, António Costa nevertheless defended more effective debates at the level of the European Council, which is why there have been meet with European Union leaders (EU) in the community capitals, to prepare for its first European summit, scheduled for December 19 and 20.
In statements to the Financial Times, the former Portuguese prime minister stressed that “this vision is unanimous [de que] Nobody wants to waste time writing conclusions in writing.
“What we want is to have shorter conclusions, because we do not need each Council [Europeu] discuss once again all the world’s problems. We need to focus each Council [Europeu] in a political message,” he highlighted, alluding to the several hours of high-level meetings in Brussels, also defending “Bridging the gap between European citizens and the EU institutions”.
Costa also told the Financial Times that “a very good personal and political relationship” with the president of the European CommissionUrsula von der Leyen, unlike her predecessor, Charles Michel, who will allow “dividing responsibilities and avoiding conflicts.”
Two weeks ago, the outgoing president of the European Council, Charles Michel, said precisely that he trusts the former Portuguese prime minister to be a “guardian of unity” between member states, when the European Union faces economic and geopolitical challenges.
António Costa, who was part of the European Council representing Portugal for eight years (during which he was Prime Minister), already knows some of the leaders of the European Union (EU), but he intends, in his two-year mandate and Medio, at the head of the institution, will look for points of convergence for commitments among the 27.
For this reason, before taking office, in the summer and early autumn he made a tour of European capitals to meet personally with the heads of Government and State of the EU to learn more about their perspectives and priorities for the next institutional cycle in the space. community.
In June, Costa was elected by the EU heads of state and government as president of the European Council for a two-and-a-half-year term starting December 1, 2024, becoming the first Portuguese and the first socialist to head the institution. He succeeds the Belgian Charles Michel, in office since 2019.
Former Belgian Prime Minister, liberal politician Charles Michel, 48, presides over the European Council until November 30, 2024, in a period marked by crises such as the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union, the Covid-19 pandemic. 19 and the Russian invasion. of Ukraine and, more recently, the resurgence of tensions in the Middle East.
Source: Observadora
