Antonio Costa

The EU needs to join efforts with countries that reject spheres of influence and want power politics to be kept in check by international law. Our strategic goal is clear: to create a new international balance through partnerships. Europe will be at the centre of solutions.

High energy prices are one of the biggest challenges for the competitiveness of the European Union. We must become more autonomous by using our clean homegrown sources of energy. We need to take immediate action to protect our citizens.

Standing together with @antonioguterres – for multilateralism, the rule of law and the principles of the @unitednations Charter.

At today’s European Council, EU leaders will focus on competitiveness. Boosting competitiveness is essential to increase our economic growth, to create quality jobs, but also to increase our strategic autonomy. The conflict in Iran shows, once again, that the best way to have a predictable and reliable horizon on our energy is to increase the clean homegrown sources of energy. This is the only way to become autonomous, independent, and resilient. #EUCO

Thank you @presidentaz Aliyev for your warm welcome to Baku. I’m looking forward to continuing our work on a new framework for closer EU and Azerbaijan cooperation that reflects our joint vision for the future. With rising global tensions and instability, strengthening ties between us is more important than ever. The EU stands in full solidarity with you and your people, as the dangerous military escalation in Iran and the Middle East risks having a direct impact on Azerbaijan.

A multipolar world requires multilateral solutions. In this new reality, the EU must defend the rules-based international order. Violations of international law must not be accepted, human rights violations must not be tolerated. Freedom and human rights cannot be achieved through bombs. Only international law upholds them.

Today @ursulavonderleyen and I had a VTC with Leaders of Middle East countries on the latest developments of the war in Iran. We are working together to bring back peace and stability. The EU is committed to partnership, security, and prosperity in the region. Read our joint statement - link in bio.

Equality benefits everyone. The EU is committed to gender equality today and every day. On International Women’s Day, I thank the amazing women on my team for their dedication and commitment. #InternationalWomensDay2026 #IWD2026

In an era of growing instability, Europe is responding with determination. 2026 is the year of competitiveness. Because a more competitive and resilient economy promotes our prosperity, creates high quality jobs, and ensures affordability.

A good meeting today and looking forward to close cooperation in the European Council 🇪🇺🇳🇱 We are committed to an ambitious agenda for a competitive, resilient and peaceful Europe.

EU finance ministers have an important role to play in developing a more competitive, resilient and autonomous economy. A good exchange on how the Eurogroup can support the work of the European Council.

Our statement on Iran.

Very useful meetings with Baltic Prime Ministers 🇪🇪 @kristen_michal 🇱🇻 @evika_silina and 🇱🇹 Inga Ruginienė, with a strong focus on Ukraine and Europe’s security and defence. We also agree on the need to accelerate our competitiveness agenda - this will be the main focus of the next European Council meeting.

My message in Kyiv is clear: Ukraine can count on the EU. Ukraine’s future is in the European Union.

Today is a day of remembrance in Ukraine. In Europe. We remember the lives lost – the soldiers, the civilians, the children. We remember the communities torn apart, the homes destroyed, and the children taken away from their families. We want to put an end to Russia’s war of aggression. No more lives lost. Russia needs to agree to an immediate ceasefire and engage in meaningful peace negotiations.

A key geopolitical security guarantee for Ukraine — and for Europe as a whole — is Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.

Today, four years ago Russia started its full-scale and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. Once again, we pay tribute to the brave people of Ukraine, who continue to resist and defend their country. The European Union has stood firmly with Ukraine and its people from the very first day of Russia’s aggression. The future of a secure and prosperous Ukraine lies in the European Union. Ukraine can count on our full support on its EU accession and on its post-war reconstruction. We stand firm with Ukraine for a just and lasting peace. For a strong and sovereign Ukraine in a strong Europe.

In Kyiv today. After four years, one shared resolve: to secure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

🇺🇦🇪🇺 Tonight, the Council's Europa building is lit up in blue and yellow in solidarity with Ukraine. The EU will continue to stand with Ukraine and support a comprehensive, just and lasting peace. #StandWithUkraine #Ukraine #EUsolidarity #24Feb2022

🇪🇺🤝🇳🇴 Partners, neighbours and friends. Norway and the EU have proven ourselves, again and again, as steadfast allies. And we are now striving for even more ambitious cooperation. In a world where multilateralism is under threat, our bond is more important than ever.

🇪🇺🇳🇴 During my visit to Oslo, it was great to see the EU and Norway’s cooperation in action at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), the CBRNE Centre, and Oslo University Hospital. I was also deeply moved to meet Ihor, a Ukrainian soldier recovering from the injuries he sustained on the Zaporizhzhia front last fall. From cutting-edge research and innovation in the defence industry, to cooperation on preparedness and resilience, our enduring partnership is win-win for the EU and Norway, built on shared expertise, trust, and common strategic interests.

European Leaders have a clear priority — to strengthen our economic growth. 2026 will be the year of competitiveness. This is the commitment coming out from Alden Biesen.

Today, 🇪🇺 leaders held a strategic brainstorming session on how to build a more competitive and resilient economy that promotes prosperity, creates high-quality jobs, and ensures affordability. In 2026, Europe will deliver.

All set in Alden Biesen for the Informal EU Leaders’ Retreat. Now we just need the leaders tomorrow!

Tomorrow, EU leaders will gather in Alden Biesen 🇧🇪 for an informal retreat to rethink our approach to the EU’s competitiveness, autonomy and prosperity. We hold a powerful card: our Single Market. With 450 million consumers, it is Europe’s true superpower and we must use it to the fullest potential.

Today’s decision to elevate EU–Viet Nam relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is both historic and forward-looking. It reflects not only how far our relationship with the EU has come, but also our shared ambition for the future. My meetings with Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi underscored our unwavering commitment to the international rules-based order, to multilateralism, and to working for peace and stability in uncertain times. Together, the European Union and Viet Nam will continue to advance peace and prosperity, inclusive growth, and sustainable development.

The EU–Viet Nam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is more than a title on paper - it delivers concrete benefits for the people of Hanoi. Today, I visited the construction site of a metro station, supported by European funding, with contributions from the @europeaninvestmentbank, the @europeancommission, and France, Germany, and Italy. This is Team Europe in action.

🇪🇺🇮🇳 Cooperation between the European Union and India will help shape a more balanced, resilient, and inclusive global order.

The connection between Europe and India is personal for me. I am Portuguese but I am also an overseas Indian citizen. I am very proud of my roots in Goa, where my father’s family came from. Today we are opening a new chapter in EU-India relations – on trade, on security, on people to people ties.

🇮🇳🤝🇪🇺 The mother of all deals is concluded.