Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union, is witnessing this afternoon the handover ceremony between the outgoing President of the European Council, Belgian Charles Michel, and the new President, Portuguese Antonio Costa.
According to the institutions of the European Union, the outgoing President Charles Michel will receive the new President to shake his hand upon arrival, and shortly thereafter, speeches will be delivered by the two Presidents in front of the employees of the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union, which represents the member states.
The last summit hosted by the Hungarian rotating presidency of the European Union in Budapest was the last summit chaired by the Belgian Michel, and the leaders thanked him for his work over the past years and the efforts he made to bring viewpoints closer together on many important files related to many of the challenges faced by the unified bloc, including the challenge of confronting the Corona pandemic and the repercussions that occurred after that in the economic, political, social, health and other fields.
The Portuguese socialist Antonio Costa became the new President of the European Council. Shortly after his election by his peers last June, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni voted against his appointment at the Council meeting. Following his appointment, Costa promised that his mandate would be one of continuity, “focusing on setting the strategic agenda approved by the Council of the Union in June that will guide the EU for the next five years.”
Costa was Portugal’s prime minister between 2015 and 2024, a position he resigned after initially being investigated over irregular investment deals in lithium and green hydrogen projects. His current status as a witness has not proved to be a stumbling block to his appointment. Since the investigation was first published, Costa has consistently maintained his innocence, saying he resigned from the government to preserve his political integrity.
During his time in government, he allowed non-EU citizens to immigrate to Portugal without a work contract, creating an image of one of the most open immigration policies in the bloc, which has been met with opposition from far-right leaders.
Costa is also highly admired by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and has been a constructive partner in the European Council for nearly a decade.
One European analyst said Costa is a skilled negotiator who is able to "bring together" the positions of leaders of all political stripes. Costa has been married to Fernanda Maria Gonçalves Tadeo since 1987 and they have two children.