Brussels, Feb. 4, 2025 (Lusa) - The president of the European Council, António Costa, said on Tuesday that the United States "is a friend" of the European Union (EU) and that "problems can also arise between friends", which is why solutions must be found in the face of trade threats.
"The United States is our friend, our ally and our partner, and problems and differences of opinion can also arise between friends, [but] when they do, we have to address them, talk about them and find solutions," said António Costa.
Speaking at the end of the EU Ambassadors' Conference on “European foreign policy that delivers results” in Brussels, he said that the European and North American blocs “have been pillars of the rules-based order, respecting national sovereignty, territorial integrity, border stability and the United Nations Charter”.
"The European Union will defend universal respect for international law and the rules-based order everywhere," he said, alluding to US President Donald Trump's attacks on Greenland, an autonomous territory managed by Denmark.
The meeting came as Donald Trump demanded greater access to the Arctic and expressed an interest in acquiring Greenland, a possibility that EU leaders would reject.
The US President has also threatened to increase imports of goods from the European bloc.
After taking office at the beginning of December, the former Portuguese prime minister said in this speech that during his two months in office he has been maintaining "close contacts with leaders from all over the world". According to sources heard by Lusa, a bilateral meeting with Donald Trump is not yet planned.
"There have been more than 30 meetings and calls to improve our engagement and protect our interests. The European Union can capitalise on its strengths [because] we have the instruments and the political will, [but] we need to adapt our approaches" and “that's why this year's summits are so important”, stressed António Costa, alluding to the high-level meetings scheduled for 2025 with South Africa, Central Asia, Brazil, the United Kingdom and Japan.
"We are also working on possible future summits, namely with the African Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States," said the institution's leader that brings together European heads of government and state.
The statements come a day after the first EU leaders' retreat, an initiative created by Costa for more informal debates between European heads of government and state, and this time, it is dedicated to the area of security and defence.
Stressing that "the Europe of Defence must be an integral part of the peace project", António Costa said that this was the result of Monday's retreat, as EU leaders "are no longer discussing “if”, but “what” and “how”" to strengthen and finance defence investment.
The European Commission's work programme for 2025 is scheduled to be presented in mid-February. The institution will also communicate its plans for the next Multiannual Financial Framework, and a White Paper on the Future of European Defence will be published in mid-March.
Calculations by the European Commission released last June show that over the next decade, around €500 billion in additional defence investments are needed.
ANE/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
