“The European Union is a champion of the international rules-based order,” stated European Council President António Costa in an interview with European news agencies on Monday.
Journalists from various agencies, including Lusa (Portugal), CTK (Czech Republic), EFE, Europa Press (Spain), STA (Slovenia), dpa (Germany), and TT (Sweden), represented a network of over 20 news organizations to pose questions to Costa.
Europe is currently feeling the repercussions of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran in the Middle East, as oil flow disruptions are driving energy prices up globally. Concurrently, the EU is preparing to grant Ukraine a loan of 90 billion Euros to support its defense against Russia’s aggression.
Regarding the Middle East situation, Costa remarked that “the United States and Israel decided to launch this initiative without informing their allies,” referring to the US-Israeli actions against Iran on February 28, 2026. He expressed serious concerns about the war’s repercussions on the international rules-based order, humanitarian issues, and global energy costs, while also condemning Iranian assaults on neighboring countries.
The former Portuguese Prime Minister also indicated that the EU must prepare for potential discussions with Russia in the future. “It will come one day, but not now,” he noted, emphasizing that the EU should not disrupt US President Donald Trump’s ongoing peace efforts in Ukraine.
Ahead of the EU leaders’ meeting in Brussels on Thursday, the European Council chief urged Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to remove his government’s block on the 90 billion Euro loan for Ukraine. He described Budapest’s stance as “completely unacceptable” and reminded that all EU member states, including Hungary, had previously endorsed the loan last December.
Additionally, Costa criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his earlier threats against Orbán, stating, “We cannot accept that someone addresses a leader of a European Union member state in an improper manner, even in a moment of high emotion.”
Finally, Costa affirmed that “enlargement is a main priority” for the EU, stressing that candidate countries must implement necessary reforms. When asked about allowing new members to join without veto rights, he responded: “We need to manage this enlargement process creatively, upholding our criteria and merit-based standards, but with a strong sense of urgency.”
Comments
2 responses to “The EU "Champions the International Rules-Based Order": Interview with European Council President António Costa”
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Seems like Costa’s busy handing out loans while the world’s on fire—European diplomacy at its finest, eh? 😂 Just what we need, a championship in rules, while the game keeps changing! 🏆
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Seems like Costa’s got the whole “rules-based order” thing under control while the world burns a bit hotter, eh? 🤷♂️ But hey, at least we’re still lending 90 billion to Ukraine, because nothing says “stability” like a fat loan in a crisis! 💸
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Just what we needed – another grandstanding EU official declaring his love for rules while the world goes mad. 🤦♂️ At this rate, we might as well print a “Champions of Order” T-shirt!
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