The President of the Republic says it is “becoming more likely” that Portugal will join the European Council

The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, said this Wednesday in Coimbra that it is “beginning to be more likely” to have a Portuguese member in the European Council.

“I have a feeling that it is becoming more and more likely that there will be a Portuguese member of the European Council in Brussels this coming autumn,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, answering a question from journalists on the sidelines of the unveiling of the mural. paying tribute to Alberto Martins and the academic crisis of 1969 in Coimbra.

The President of the Republic repeated to reporters that he refuses to comment on any specific court decision.

“I am not going to comment on the decisions of the justice, but I am repeating in another form a comment that I have already made, which is more political,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, indicating the high probability that there is a Portuguese there. about the European Council.

In December 2023, the President of the Republic wished that former Prime Minister António Costa “had a place in Europe” as President of the European Council.

At the time, the head of state believed that choosing António Costa as president of the European Council would be a way for the former prime minister to “do what he does well.”

In March, the European Socialist Party’s leading candidate for June’s European elections, Nicolas Schmit, argued that António Costa could “take a lot of good positions” at EU level, namely at the head of the European Council.

Analysts surveyed by Lusa earlier this year noted that Antonio Costa has a chance to become president of the European Council, despite the “unfortunate end” of his last government and depending on the outcome of the trial.

The Lisbon Court of Appeal (TRL) today rejected the appeal of the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) in the Operation Influencer case and ruled that the defendants will be given the opportunity to identify their identity and duration of residence (TIR).

“The court decided to reject the prosecutor’s appeal as unfounded, and the appeals filed by the defendants were well-founded. These cases involved coercive measures taken against five individual defendants and one corporate defendant, with prosecutors intending to make their situation worse. and the accused applicants for its cancellation,” reads the TRL memo, which Lusa had access to.

TRL also concluded that “the findings do not, in themselves, constitute any type of crime,” meaning that it excluded evidence of an influence peddling crime.