The long run President of the European Council, António Costa, meets immediately with the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, in Budapest, persevering with a tour of the capitals of the European Union (EU) that started in Italy with Giorgia Meloni.
About two months earlier than taking workplace, on December 1st, the previous Prime Minister António Costa started contacts with the heads of presidency and state of the EU, European sources instructed the Lusa company.
Immediately, Costa meets with Orbán, the controversial nationalist head of presidency of Hungary, a rustic that presently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council, throughout which the primary European summit chaired by António Costa shall be held on December 19 and 20.
However this tour of António Costa within the EU started on the finish of July in Rome, in a gathering with the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, who was the one one among the many 27 European leaders who voted towards the previous Prime Minister’s alternative for the brand new place, on the European summit final June.
Viktor Orbán, for his half, abstained within the election of António Costa, supported by the remaining 25 EU leaders.
After a summer time break, António Costa held face-to-face conferences in September with the appearing Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander De Croo, and Luxembourg’s Luc Frieden, as a part of this tour that features a assembly on Wednesday with the Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk.
On the finish of this week, he’ll meet with fellow socialist Pedro Sánchez, the pinnacle of the Spanish authorities.
Then, António Costa travels to Denmark, which can host the rotating presidency of the EU Council within the second half of 2025, making visits to the Nordic international locations at the moment.
The purpose is to listen to all 27 heads of presidency and state of the EU about their political priorities for the following European institutional cycle earlier than taking workplace, with most visits anticipated to happen in October, sources instructed Lusa.
António Costa, who was a part of the European Council representing Portugal for eight years (throughout which he was Prime Minister), already is aware of a number of the EU leaders with whom he’s now assembly, however intends, throughout his two and a half yr mandate on the head of the establishment, to seek out factors of convergence for commitments among the many 27.
Final June, Costa was then elected by the heads of state and authorities of the EU as president of the European Council for a mandate of two and a half years beginning December 1, 2024, being the primary Portuguese and the primary socialist to move the establishment, succeeding the Belgian Charles Michel.
