The European Union’s 27 leaders will convene in Brussels on Thursday for their first meeting under the leadership of European Council President António Costa.
Leaders have high expectations of the “anti-[Charles] Michel,” his predecessor who elicited eye rolls and groans over his dubious behavior during his five-year tenure. Some officials pointed out what they described as Michel’s chaotic handling of leaders’ meetings and of Council affairs, as well as rivalry with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Costa has already won them over with the promise to limit the leaders’ summits to one day.
But that honeymoon could come to an abrupt end with a weakened French president and German chancellor coupled with a second Donald Trump presidency in the United States.
On the agenda for Thursday: The EU’s role in the world and how to prepare for the U.S.’s limited role in Ukraine; how to handle a potential new trade war between the U.S. and China; and the situation in the Middle East.
