“The president speaks on behalf of the European Council composed of 27 member countries, and when he speaks he must do so in all of their names,” Costa said in an interview.
But, he added, “the president can and should have opinions.”
During his time as prime minister, Costa became famous for negotiating improbable agreements with political rivals. He said his ability to make deals lies in “talking to people, listening to them, understanding the points of divergence and finding ways to work together” — skills he picked up while interacting with citizens when he was in local government in Lisbon.
Costa said he had embarked on his listening tour of Europe’s capitals — an odyssey he aims to repeat at the start of every political year he serves as Council president — to get first-hand knowledge of the issues national leaders want to address during their summits in Brussels.
“My main mission is to guarantee unity between everyone,” he said. “And that means being in permanent contact … anticipating disagreements and helping to build consensus.”
The relationships Costa is attempting to build with the bloc’s national leaders could be key to reaching common stances on EU aid to Ukraine, potential trade wars with Washington or Beijing, and the bloc’s next multi-annual budget. A first test will come on Dec. 19, when Costa chairs his inaugural meeting of European leaders just as the bloc needs to prepare its response to Trump’s inauguration in January.
The Council’s new president appears confident in his ability to rise to the occasion.
“My role is to facilitate coordination between 27 member states, regardless of whether they are large or small, northern or southern, wealthy or less wealthy, led by one political family or another,” he said. “We’re all here to work together for the benefit of the union and its citizens, because together we are stronger.”
