The challenges faced by the European Union "require strong leaders"

The challenges faced by the European Union "require strong, capable leaders who are able to reconcile the positions, often differing, of the 27 Member States today, perhaps more tomorrow", said Prime Minister Luís Montenegro at the end of the European Council that met in Brussels.

Luís Montenegro claimed that "the European Union is facing major collective challenges that are also expressed in each of the member States, which are related to the need to have a more prosperous economy that is able to generate more wealth, more value, of tackling the demographic challenge, reconciling economic growth and demographic management while safeguarding the European Social State and European way of living".

These challenges "come from a few years back and have had others added to them, such as the security and defence challenges, the unequivocal, full, and permanent support given to Ukraine, the twin green and digital transition", and "reconciling these with the need to make the economy grow and safeguarding the Social State and looking with humanism and respect towards people’s dignity and the migratory flows".

Also, "as always in the European Union, preserving peace, democracy, and the rule of law in a context where, in addition to a strategic agenda and growth in competitiveness, there will also be enlargement to other western Balkan states, Ukraine, and Moldovia".

The Prime Miniter showed "great joy" by the Government "and all the Portuguese for António Costa as the choice to lead the European Council over the next two and half years", congratulating António Costa for the "large majority of support at the meeting where his features were recognised which the Government presented to take on the role of leadership in the European Union".

He also noted the importance that the "Council’s proposal by the European Parliament to make it possible to elect Ursula von der Leyen to be President of the European Commission for the next five years, based on a broad political commitment, which is to be extended to those who are not represented in the Council, yet are in the European Parliament".

And he indicated the election of the Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas to High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and, as such, Vice-President of the European Commission.

Luís Montenegro said that the "Portuguese Government not only supported, as was strongly committed" to António Costa’s election being a reality, "not just because he is Portuguese, but above all because among the various people indicated by the political families for leasing roles, we believe that António Costa gather the experience, dialogue capacity, reconciliation, building bridges which are the basis the essence, the core of what the President of the European Council represents".

"This is a particularly happy day for Europe and for Portugal and it is happy for Europe because it is happy for Portugal and it is happy for Portugal because it is happy for Europe", he added.

The European Council, which brings together he Heads of State and Government of the 27 Member States, approved the strategic agenda for 2024-2029, a policy plan to set the goals and lead the Union towards them.

It also discussed military and other support to Ukraine, new sanctions against Russia, the Near East, namely the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, boosting defence capabilities, competitiveness, migration, foreign policy hybrid threats, fighting racism, xenophobia, and antisemitism, and internal reforms.