EU Parliament president praises methods of Charles Michel's successor
European leaders gathered in Brussels on Thursday for their first summit under the leadership of new European Council president António Costa. At her press conference, European Parliament president Roberta Metsola praised the new working methods of Costa, who took over from Belgian Charles Michel this month.
"I have been to many (European) Councils. This one started on time and I give credit to the new president of the European Council for that," Metsola said. "It shows a will to work together, to reach cohesion and unity. This is necessary and - to be honest - has not always been the case in recent years."
"I have been to many European Councils. This one started on time and I give credit to the new president for that"
The comment by Metsola, who, like European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, belongs to the centre-right European People's Party (EPP), cannot be separated from the EPP's difficult relationship with the liberal Michel.
Approval for working methods
In particular, Metsola praised Costa's working methods. Unlike Michel, he wants the ambassadors of the 27 member states to approve the conclusions of a European summit before it begins. The aim is to prevent leaders from having to tinker with the texts themselves and to ensure they have time for more strategic discussions.
This new method has met with approval in diplomatic circles. Costa's ambition to limit European summits to one day has also been praised, but it remains to be seen whether he will succeed in this ambition.
Notable absence
Michel was also conspicuously absent from the 50th anniversary celebrations of the European Council at the start of the summit. Although other former presidents such as Herman Van Rompuy and Donald Tusk attended for a special group photo, Michel did not.
EU circles simply said he was "not free". Michel himself told Belga that the invitation came very late and that he had already made a private appointment that he could not avoid.
© PHOTO KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP
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