European Council President-elect António Costa was received Monday by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the only European leader to vote against his appointment, at a meeting to “assess prospects and priorities.”
The meeting between the former Portuguese Prime Minister and the head of the Italian government is also seen as an initiative to break the ice between Rome and Brussels.
“It was a very good working meeting. For me it is important now to assess what the perspectives and priorities of the various member states are, and since Italy is a founding member of the European Union (EU), it is important to know and take into account the priorities of Prime Minister Meloni,” Costa said in Rome in a short statement to the press near the Palazzo Chigi, the headquarters of the Italian government.