“Cooperation and interaction will be total”: Montenegro and Costa dine in Sao Bento after European Council elections

Prime Minister Luis Montenegro is having lunch with António Costa at the official residence of São Bento on Monday, during the first meeting between them since Portugal was elected to the presidency of the European Council.

Montenegro expects the government’s “cooperation and cooperation” with António Costa to be “full”. “Always count on the Portuguese government,” the prime minister said.

“I hope to justify the trust that Portugal has placed in me,” Antonio Costa began. The current President of the European Council also recalled that whenever a Portuguese works abroad, he values ​​Portugal.

This will be the first meeting between Luis Montenegro and António Costa since the heads of state and government of the European Union elected the former Socialist prime minister as President of the European Council for a two-year term last Thursday. 1 December 2024

António Costa is the first Portuguese and first socialist to head the European Council.

Montenegro has never hidden its support for António Costa in the top European position since he joined the government in early April, and Costa thanked the current prime minister shortly after last Thursday’s elections.

In a post on social media X, Montenegro congratulated the former prime minister on his election as President of the European Council, saying it hoped the European Union (EU) would be “more united and able to build bridges.”

“The European Council has a new president. Congratulations to António Costo on behalf of the Portuguese government,” the head of government wrote in a post on the social network X.

“Europe faces big challenges and we will count on everyone to defend a more united European Union, capable of building bridges so that nations can give people the answers they need,” Luis Montenegro said in his message.

European Council President-elect António Costa announced on the same social media platform that he would take on the role with a “great sense of mission”, aiming to promote unity among the 27 member states and the Strategic Agenda for the next five years. .

“It is with a great sense of mission that I accept the responsibility of becoming the next President of the European Council. “I thank the members of the European Council for the confidence they placed in me by electing me, as well as the European Socialist Party (PSE) and the Portuguese government for their support in this decision,” wrote António Costa.