Politico: New European Council chief faces hard times amid intra-block disagreements, Ukraine conflict

The new President of the European Council, António Costa, faces the difficult task of bridging the disagreements within the EU, while France and Germany, its key players, are busy dealing with their domestic problems.

This week, Costa helms his first summit of the EU’s 27 leaders knowing his stock will never be this high again, Caliber.Az reports via Politico.

A rude awakening awaits almost immediately. He’ll have to navigate Europe’s response to Donald Trump’s return to the White House and years-long divisions over Russia and Ukraine — all while France and Germany, traditionally the engine that pushed European decision-making forward, are distracted and paralyzed.   

Costa’s job will be to help broker deals between leaders with incompatible priorities, the publication said.

“Leaders are starting to realize that we will have to make decisions that are inevitable, but also very uncomfortable,” one EU official said, granted anonymity to speak freely, like others in this story. “The info on Trump’s plans is dripping into several capitals.” 

Costa said in his letter to European leaders ahead of the summit, “The situation in Ukraine will be at the forefront of our discussions.”

As the second Trump presidency draws nigh, European leaders are keenly aware they must step up their military and financial support for Kyiv — but disagree on how to get there. 

Despite the goodwill surrounding Costa and the imminent possible cratering of US support for Ukraine, Brussels doesn’t appear poised to make concrete promises to Kyiv this week.

A senior EU official told reporters in Brussels ahead of the summit that the leaders of the 27 EU member states will discuss at a meeting on December 19 the possibility of helping Ukraine if the new US administration refuses to support Kyiv.

“What can Europe do more if needed, autonomously, to support Ukraine?” will be one of the questions in focus, according to the official. “Hopefully this will be one of the questions answered with the meeting of the 27, certainly the beginning of an answer to that question.” 

Notably, António Costa, the 63-year-old former Portuguese prime minister, was elected President of the European Council on June 27, 2024 thanks to his reputation for forging compromises away from the spotlight, and assumed office on December 1, 2024.

Born in 1961, Costa has been a prominent figure in Portuguese politics. He served as Prime Minister of Portugal from 2015 to 2024, leading the country through a period of economic growth and budget surpluses. His tenure was marked by a commitment to social policies and economic reforms, opposing austerity measures previously imposed on EU countries.

As President of the European Council, Costa chairs meetings of EU heads of state and government, setting the agenda and facilitating consensus on key issues. He is expected to play a pivotal role in promoting unity among the EU's 27 member states and in implementing the Strategic Agenda that guides the EU over the next five years.

By Khagan Isayev