António Costa takes over as head of the European Council after the departure of Charles Michel

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The changing of the guard took place in Brussels. Charles Michel, outgoing President of the European Council, passed the baton (or in this case the bell) to his successor António Costa. Friday's brief ceremony was marked by calls for political unity in the face of adversity.

“The only way to be truly patriotic is to ensure sovereignty, to build a common Europe. Because it is only together that we can defend security, stability and peace on our continent. This is not “Together we can achieve shared prosperity, economic growth and climate transition.”declared Mr. Costa in front of an audience of officials and diplomats.

“Unity is the lifeblood of the European Union.”

António Costa, former Prime Minister of Portugal, will take office on December 1, which coincides with the entry into office of Ursula von der Leyen as head of the European Commission. His mandate will last two and a half years, with the possibility of a one-time extension.

Von der Leyen and Michel have had a notoriously frosty relationship, dating back to the episode of Sofagate in Türkiye.

Mr. Costa intends to close this chapter and “work closely together” with Mrs von der Leyen in order to “strengthen everyone’s action”said a senior EU official.

As President of the European Council, he will prepare and host EU summits, where leaders set the political agenda for the future of the Union. This position has no executive powers and essentially aims to ensure representation and coordination.

In his speech, the new president presented himself as a bridge builder and asserted that “differences of opinion” between Member States, which are frequent and numerous, should be respected instead of being treated as a “issue”.

“We have 27 different histories and cultures, and we look at the world from different geographic locations. This diversity is completely natural. It enriches us and we can, in fact, exploit it. This is the strength of 'Europe”declared the 63-year-old Portuguese.

Janis A. Emmanouilidis, deputy director general of the European Policy Center (EPC), believes that Mr. Costa will clearly express his views while ensuring that all leaders remain on the same page.

M. Costa “will try to compromise, find consensus – hopefully compromises – not to the lowest common denominator, because that is not what Europe needs at the moment”Mr. Emmanouilidis told Euronews.

Once in office, the new President of the European Council will become the most important figure in the socialist family in Brussels, with Teresa Riberathe first executive vice-president of the Commission. For the socialists, these two appointments are essential to maintaining a certain degree of influence as the bloc continues its shift to the right.

António Costa's agenda

Among António Costa's priorities are support for Ukraine, defense policy, competitivenessmigration management and EU budget reform, topics that Ms von der Leyen has also highlighted for her second presidency.

“Peace cannot be the peace of a cemetery. Peace cannot be synonymous with capitulation. Peace must not reward aggression. Peace in Ukraine must be just. It must be lasting. It must be based on international law.he stressed on Friday. “This war is taking place on European soil, but the universal principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations are at stake.”

Enlargement will also be the subject of particular attention. This is a sensitive area where unanimity among leaders is essential to move forward.

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine are currently candidates for membership in the European Union (Turkey's candidacy has been frozen for a long time, while that of Georgia has been put into waiting).

Mr Costa believes that accession negotiations should progress without “artificial deadlines but also without excessive obstacles”. It thus stands out from the approach of Charles Michel, who had set a 2030 deadlinefor enlargement, which the Commission, which assesses the progress made by each candidate, refused to approve.

“Enlargement to the Western Balkans and our Eastern neighbors is a powerful tool for peace, security and prosperity and a geopolitical imperative”he said.

In a break with Mr. Michel, Mr. Costa also wants the European summits to last only one day instead of two and for the conclusions to be drawn up before the leaders sit down at the negotiating table, even if this could prove impossible for crucial discussions such as the budget.

The future president also wishes to organize “informal retreats” outside the gray institutional sphere of Brussels, in order to allow leaders to address the most crucial topics on the agenda “without the pressure of making a decision”declared the senior official cited above. The premiere should take place on February 3 and will be dedicated to defensein the presence of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

“These retreats will allow ideas to converge in a certain direction”explained the senior official.

António Costa, whose father is half-French-Mozambican and half-Indian, is the first person of color to hold a high-level post in the history of the European Union.