António Costa
António Luís Santos da Costa GCIH (born 17 July 1961) is a Portuguese lawyer and politician who has been the President-elect of the European Council since 2024. He was the 119th Prime Minister of Portugal from 26 November 2015 to 2 April 2024. He served as Mayor of Lisbon from 2007 to 2015. He was elected as Secretary-General of the Socialist Party in September 2014.[3]
António Costa | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Costa in 2017 | |
| President-elect of the European Council | |
| Assuming office 1 December 2024 | |
| Succeeding | Charles Michel |
| Prime Minister of Portugal | |
| In office 26 November 2015 – 2 April 2024 | |
| President | Aníbal Cavaco Silva Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa |
| Preceded by | Pedro Passos Coelho |
| Succeeded by | Luís Montenegro |
| Secretary-General of the Socialist Party | |
| In office 22 November 2014 – 7 January 2024 | |
| President | Carlos César |
| Deputy | Ana Catarina Mendes José Luís Carneiro João Torres |
| Preceded by | António José Seguro |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Nuno Santos |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 22 November 2014 – 26 November 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | Pedro Passos Coelho |
| Preceded by | António José Seguro |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Passos Coelho |
| Mayor of Lisbon | |
| In office 1 August 2007 – 6 April 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Carmona Rodrigues |
| Succeeded by | Fernando Medina |
| Minister of Internal Administration | |
| In office 12 March 2005 – 17 May 2007 | |
| Prime Minister | José Sócrates |
| Preceded by | Daniel Sanches |
| Succeeded by | Rui Pereira |
| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 25 October 1999 – 6 April 2002 | |
| Prime Minister | António Guterres |
| Preceded by | José Vera Jardim |
| Succeeded by | Celeste Cardona |
| Minister of Parliamentary Affairs | |
| In office 27 November 1997 – 25 October 1999 | |
| Prime Minister | António Guterres |
| Preceded by | António Couto dos Santos |
| Succeeded by | Luís Marques Mendes |
| Member of the Assembly of the Republic[1][2] | |
| In office 23 October 2015 – 26 March 2024 | |
| Constituency | Lisbon |
| In office 5 April 2002 – 9 March 2005 | |
| Constituency | Leiria |
| In office 4 November 1991 – 26 October 1995 | |
| Constituency | Lisbon |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 20 July 2004 – 11 March 2005 | |
| Constituency | Portugal |
| Personal details | |
| Born | António Luís Santos da Costa 17 July 1961 Lisbon, Portugal |
| Political party | Socialist Party (since 1975) |
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Spouse(s) | Fernanda Tadeu (m. 1987) |
| Children | 2 |
| Mother | Maria Antónia Palla |
| Father | Orlando da Costa |
| Alma mater | University of Lisbon |
| Signature |  |
| Website | portugal.gov.pt/pm |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Portugal |
| Branch/service | Portuguese Army |
On 7 November 2023, Costa resigned after ongoing searches and arrests involving members of his Socialist government. This resignation was accepted by the president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, a few hours later.[4][5]
After his resignation, Costa was elected as President of the European Council, a position he will start in December 2024.[6]
Early life
Costa was born in 1961 in Lisbon, Portugal. He is the son of writer Orlando da Costa and journalist Maria Antónia Palla.[7][8]
Costa graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon in the 1980s. He first entered politics when he was elected as a Socialist deputy to the municipal council.[9] He later practiced law briefly from 1988, before entering politics full-time.[10]
President of the European Council
In the aftermath of the 2024 European Parliament election, Costa was seen as the frontrunner candidate for the Presidency of the European Council.[11] On 27 June 2024, Costa was elected as President of the European Council, one of the three most important leadership posts of the European Union, by the 27 EU member state leaders.[6]
Personal life
In 1987, Costa married Fernanda Maria Gonçalves Tadeu, a teacher. The couple have a son and a daughter. Costa also holds an Overseas Citizenship of India.[12]
António Costa Media
Costa at the Informal EU-Leaders' Meeting in Salzburg in 2018.
Costa with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in Lisbon, 2 July 2018.
Costa meets with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Lisbon, Portugal on 5 December 2019.
Costa with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev in the European Council Summit in Brussels, 22 October 2021.
Costa with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 21 May 2022.
Costa with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on 24 April 2023.
Costa announcing his resignation, on 7 November 2023
António Costa with Giorgia Meloni after his election as EU Council President.
PRT Order of Prince Henry - Grand Cross BAR
,_02-07-2018_(5).png)
.jpg)
.jpg)
,_Ind%C3%BAstria_Aeron%C3%A1utica_de_Portugal_S.A._(52848285048).jpg)
.jpg)
References
- ↑ "António Costa, Assembleia da República".
- ↑ "As legislaturas da Assembleia da República".
- ↑ António Costa's Biography on the Portuguese Government's official webpage.
- ↑ "Portugal's PM Costa resigns over corruption investigation" (in en). Reuters. 2023-11-07. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/portugals-pm-costa-resigns-over-corruption-investigation-2023-11-07/. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
- ↑ "Face a buscas e detenções, Marcelo recebeu Costa a pedido deste em Belém" (in pt). Notícias ao Minuto. 2023-11-07. https://www.noticiasaominuto.com/pais/2435499/face-a-buscas-e-detencoes-marcelo-recebeu-costa-a-pedido-deste-em-belem. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Von der Leyen, Costa and Kallas bag EU top jobs" (in English). Poltico Europe. 27 June 2024. https://www.politico.eu/article/von-der-leyen-costa-and-kallas-bag-eu-top-jobs/. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ↑ Then Came A Gandhi Archived 12 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine, outlookindia.com, retrieved 10 September 2015
- ↑ "'Proud of my roots in Goa': Portugal PM Antonio Costa's Q&A with HT". Hindustan Times. 6 January 2017. Archived from the original on 11 March 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
- ↑ "António Costa" (PDF). Jornal de Campanha — Socialist Party. August 2015. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
- ↑ Axel Bugge (4 October 2015), Portuguese Socialist leader Costa candidate for PM Archived 16 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine Reuters.
- ↑ Morales, Aitor Hernández (13 June 2024). "Can António Costa be EU Council president despite his legal woes?" (in English). Poltico Europe. https://www.politico.eu/article/antonio-costa-eu-council-president-legal-frontrunner-probe-portugal-prime-minister-resignation-government/. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ↑ "PM Narendra Modi presents OCI card to Portugal's Indian-origin PM Antonio Costa". 24 June 2017. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.