Costa meets EU leaders on war, budget, and trade in European ‘tour’

The President of the European Council, António Costa, will travel to the EU member states in the first three weeks of September to hear from community leaders about the war in Ukraine, the budget, and trade.
After having made a similar visit last autumn before taking office as President of the European Council, the former Portuguese Prime Minister is embarking on a tour to “meet with each EU leader and, of course, prepare for the time ahead,” said a European official to the press in Brussels.
“The goal is to gather the leaders’ perspectives on the international situation, on the situation in the EU, and thereby contribute to defining or adjusting the political agenda for the coming months, also preparing for the meetings of the European Council,” the same community source added, specifying that the issues on the table will be the wars in Ukraine caused by the Russian invasion and in Israel against the Islamist movement Hamas in Palestine, EU defense, and also enlargement.
In the case of the war in Ukraine, this summer, an unconditional 30-day ceasefire was unsuccessfully attempted in Ukraine, under pressure from the EU and allies – the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.
Topics such as the new Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034, whose negotiation process is now beginning, trade in light of trade tensions with the United States and the need to diversify partners, and the focus on community competitiveness are also added.
After starting this ‘tour’ on Wednesday in Brussels, with a meeting with the Belgian Prime Minister, António Costa will travel to Slovenia on Monday, where he will deliver a keynote speech at the Bled conference.
Then, he will meet the Prime Minister of Slovenia the following day and also visit Croatia on that day. On Wednesday, he will be in Vienna, Austria, and the next day in Romania and Bulgaria.
The trip will conclude next week in the Czech Republic and the Netherlands on Friday.
No date has yet been announced for Portugal.
The goal is to gather opinions from the heads of government and state of the member countries on the situation in the EU and prepare the ground for the upcoming European Councils and international summits.
Quoted in a statement, António Costa argued that “these conversations will help define the common agenda for the coming months,” in light of current challenges.
“As President of the European Council, it is my duty to listen to and understand the priorities of all leaders — especially in these uncertain times. My role is to build consensus and, [therefore], in each visit, I will work to strengthen our cooperation because in today’s unpredictable world, our unity is our greatest strength,” he emphasized.
The tour covers most EU countries, from September 1 to 19.
By the end of the year, António Costa will preside over two formal European Councils, in October and December 2025, as well as the Informal European Council, which will take place in Copenhagen on October 1. One day later, on October 2, the meeting of the European Political Community will also be held in the Danish capital under the presidency of the Council held by Denmark.
From November 8 to 9, the President of the European Council will co-chair the EU-CELAC summit in Colombia and then, on November 24 and 25, the EU-African Union summit in Angola.
He will also represent the EU at the United Nations High-Level Week in September, where he will speak at the General Assembly and the UN Security Council.
Additionally, he will be present at COP30 in the Brazilian municipality of Belém in November.
On December 1, 2024, António Costa began his two-and-a-half-year term at the head of the European Council, being the first socialist and Portuguese in this position.