António Costa in line for EU top job, despite judicial woes

A sprawling corruption probe tumbled his government. Costa is now aiming for political vindication.

Transcript

00:00Having a seat as Prime Minister of Portugal at the European Council for almost a decade,

00:06Antonio Costa might now be the President of this important EU institution.

00:11A veteran of European politics and known as a consensus builder,

00:14Costa is a socialist politician who resigned in November 2023 from his duties

00:19after a corruption scandal involving members of his government.

00:22Costa was never named as a defendant in the court case.

00:25He was invited before to preside over the European Council by the then German Chancellor Angela Merkel

00:31during negotiations after the 2019 European elections, but he refused.

00:35At the Socialist Congress in Rome last March, Costa emerged as a potential candidate for the top job in Brussels,

00:41as a respected leader of the EU's southern region.

00:44The fact of having participated in the European Council for many years

00:49gives him the experience he needs to be able to lead this institution.

00:56Then I think there is another example, which is very much talked about here in Brussels,

00:59which is the fact of being a person who is able to build consensus,

01:02who can get there where others might have more difficulty.

01:08The support of the centre-right Portuguese government to Costa,

01:11announced shortly after the European elections,

01:13was considered strategic to obtain the support of the EPP leaders.

01:17The only shadow to Costa's profile was the fact he was seen as a sceptical of the EU enlargement.