New European Council president calls for peace in Ukraine

President of the European Council and former Prime Minister of Belgium Charles Michel has handed over his duties to Portuguese politician António Costa.

He will officially begin to work on December 1, coinciding with the second term of the European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

The official handover ceremony took place at the European Council residence in Brussels. Costa was appointed to this position during the EU summit in June 2024, alongside the extension of Ursula von der Leyen's mandate as president of the European Commission.

Michel wished Costa to preserve the unity of the EU, which he described as the magic key of the EU, safeguarding its European power. 

He highlighted his major achievements during his tenure, including the massive supply of weapons to Ukraine and the imposition of sanctions on Russia. Costa thanked Michel and called on EU countries to work together to achieve the security and prosperity of Europe. 

He emphasised that protecting European values would be his top priority. He reiterated that unity is the life-giving force of the EU, while also stressing the importance of remembering "Europe's diversity."

Costa urged to achieve peace in Ukraine, ensuring its territorial integrity and compliance with international norms. The reshuffle will have no impact on the political direction of the EU. The president of the European Council holds no executive powers. 

He serves alongside the president of the European Commission as a representative of the EU at the highest level on the international stage. 

With his team, he performs the technical functions of chairing meetings of the European Council, which includes the heads of state and government of all EU member states. His duties also include finding compromises in the event of disputes within the European Council. 

However, the European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen is preparing an extensive EU reform in the near future, under the pretext of preparing the community for a new expansion. This reform will involve expanding the powers of the European Commission and further reducing the sovereignty of member states. 

In particular, the reform aims to strip European countries of their veto power in the European Council, moving toward decision-making by majority vote rather than through compromise. 

This would automatically relieve Costa of the most challenging aspect of his role - finding the lowest common denominator in case of disagreements among European nations.

By Naila Huseynova