BY ADEDOYIN OLATAYO EMMANUEL
The President of the European Council, António Costa, is set to conclude the latest phase of his “Tour des Capitales” this week with meetings with leaders of several European Union member states.
The tour is aimed at strengthening coordination with EU national leaders on the bloc’s key priorities, particularly preparations for the next long-term EU budget, while laying the groundwork for upcoming European Council meetings and international summits.
Costa will begin the final sequence of his visits on 13 September, when he meets Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in Rovaniemi.
On 14 September, the European Council President will participate in the European Arctic Summit, hosted by Finland in Rovaniemi. He will subsequently meet Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
On 15 September, Costa is scheduled to meet three European leaders: Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker in Vienna, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
His tour continues on 16 September, with a meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever in Brussels.
On 17 September, Costa will travel to Dublin to meet Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheál Martin. During the meeting, Costa is expected to share his conclusions from the tour of EU capitals, particularly as Ireland currently holds the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The tour will continue on 9 October, when Costa is scheduled to meet Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten in The Hague.
Costa will join a group of European leaders at the European Arctic Summit in Rovaniemi on 14 September.
The summit, hosted by Finland, is expected to focus on strengthening the EU’s strategic approach to the Arctic, a region whose geopolitical importance has continued to grow in recent years.
The discussions are expected to address the EU’s interests and priorities in the Arctic, including security and strategic cooperation.
By the end of this latest phase of the “Tour des Capitales”, Costa will have visited 19 EU member states.
They are Slovakia, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Czechia, Luxembourg, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Slovenia, Poland, Germany, Malta, Spain, Portugal and Finland.
The visits form part of Costa’s broader engagement with EU leaders as the bloc prepares for major decisions on its future priorities, including the next long-term EU budget and preparations for upcoming European and international summits.
