Former Prime Minister Antonio Costa warned on Tuesday that the European Union cannot delay institutional and budgetary reforms before enlargement, and noted that democratic forces remain in the majority in European institutions.
These positions were defended by António Costa, designated as the likely future President of the European Council, at a conference organized in Lisbon by Abreu Advogados and the Belgian Embassy, entitled “Europe and the Future: A New Legislature.” The conference was attended by Herman Van Rompuy, former President of the European Council (2009/2014) and Prime Minister of Belgium (2008/2009).
At the political level, António Costa argued that one should not “over-dramatize the circumstances” inherent in the current political situation, pointing out that, contrary to expectations, populist movements did not gain significant momentum in the last European elections and that the three political traditional families are Christian Democrats , socialists and liberals – continue to exist with an overwhelming majority.
The former prime minister later described the European Union’s first task as “guaranteeing peace and security in Europe”, especially by supporting Ukraine’s military efforts.
“We cannot agree that it is Russia that is imposing peace terms,” he emphasized, before touching on the issue of candidate countries for expansion.
“This is no longer an expansion. This will be the most important and most demanding enlargement the European Union has ever undertaken. We have created expectations for Ukraine, Georgia and the Western Balkans. We do not have the legitimacy to upset these expectations, especially for those who are fighting in Ukraine,” he emphasized.
In the final part of his speech, the former Socialist leader went even further in defending his thesis, pointing out that current member states must carefully observe their own criteria in order to “welcome those” invited to join the European Union.
“Let’s be realistic: institutional and budgetary reforms are necessary for the new expansion to succeed. This is not a reason to delay expansion. This is a reason not to put off our homework,” the former prime minister countered.
He then gave an example from everyday life to support his position: “When we invite someone to dinner at our house, we need a table, we need chairs and food.”
“We invited nine countries to join, and therefore we must create good conditions for their reception. Success depends not only on the work that Ukraine has to do, but also on the work that we have to do,” he emphasized.
During the debate, António Costa was asked about the upcoming elections in France and responded that he hoped that the choices made by the French people “will continue to strengthen the country’s central and indispensable role in the construction of the European project.”
Answering a question about how he assessed the start of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, the former head of the Portuguese executive called this decision “great news.”
“These negotiations must be conducted with complete loyalty,” António Costa warned once again.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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