On 19 May 2025, European Council President António Costa was in London for the first EU-UK summit. In his opening remarks at the start of the plenary session, he emphasised the importance of the summit as a forward-looking milestone for a renewed partnership between the EU and the UK.

During the first EU-UK summit on 19 May 2025, leaders agreed three documents: a joint statement, a security and Defence Partnership and a Common Understanding on a renewed agenda for European Union – United Kingdom cooperation.

Der Rat billigt sein Verhandlungsmandat zu einer Verordnung über aktualisierte Vorschriften, mit denen die Position der Landwirtinnen und Landwirte in der Lebensmittelversorgungskette gestärkt werden soll.

Der Rat billigt weitere Unterstützung für Gebiete in äußerster Randlage, die von Naturkatastrophen und deren verheerender Folgen für die Landwirtschaft betroffen sind.

President of the Eurogroup, Paschal Donohoe, is travelling to the Netherlands on 19 May 2025.

The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, the United Kingdom, together with European Council and European Commission Presidents met with President of Moldova and reaffirmed their strong and united support for Moldova and its European future.

Die EU hat am Internationalen Tag gegen Homophobie, Biphobie und Transphobie eine Erklärung abgegeben, in der sie Diskriminierung und Gewalt verurteilt und ihr nachdrückliches Engagement für die Achtung, den Schutz und die Verwirklichung der uneingeschränkten und gleichberechtigten Ausübung aller Menschenrechte durch alle LGBTI-Personen bekräftigt.

Weekly schedule of President António Costa, 19–25 May 2025

On 16 May, European Council President António Costa was in Tirana, Albania to co-host the sixth meeting of the European Political Community summit. In his opening remarks, he called for a united European response to the growing global challenges to peace, international law and multilateralism. He also reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to being a reliable partner in building a 'new Europe in a new world.'

Erklärung der Hohen Vertreterin im Namen der Europäischen Union zur Erklärung einiger Drittländer, sich dem Beschluss (GASP) 2025/824 des Rates vom 25. April 2025 zur Änderung des Beschlusses (GASP) 2023/891 über restriktive Maßnahmen angesichts von Handlungen, die die Republik Moldau destabilisieren, anzuschließen

Erklärung der Hohen Vertreterin im Namen der Europäischen Union zur Erklärung einiger Drittländer, sich dem Beschluss (GASP) 2025/820 des Rates vom 25. April 2025 zur Änderung des Beschlusses 2013/184/GASP über restriktive Maßnahmen angesichts der Lage in Myanmar/Birma anzuschließen

During his visit to the Western Balkans, European Council President António Costa met with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Tirana. At the joint press conference, he reaffirmed the EU’s strong commitment to Albania’s accession, praised the country’s reform progress, and commended its role in hosting the upcoming European Political Community summit. He also welcomed the opening of a College of Europe campus in Tirana, highlighting Albania's deepening ties with the EU.

During his visit to the Western Balkans, European Council President António Costa met with the President of North Macedonia Hristijan Mickoski in Skopje. At the joint press conference, he reaffirmed the EU's commitment to the country's EU accession path and commended North Macedonia on its progress on the reform agenda. He also stressed that these efforts must continue and that the EU is ready to support North Macedonia in this process.

Remarks by President Antonio Costa after his meeting in Pristina with President Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu.

During his visit to the Western Balkans, European Council President António Costa met with the President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović in Podgorica. At the joint press conference, he highlighted that enlargement is crucial for the stability and prosperity of the region, praising Montenegro's progress towards EU membership. He also stressed the importance of continuing reforms and maintaining good neighborly relations.

During a visit to the Western Balkans, European Council President António Costa met with the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo. At the joint press conference, he reaffirmed the EU’s full commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s accession process, while addressing concerns about the persisting challenges in the country, in particular the need to accelerate progress on the necessary reforms, and the recent developments in Republika Srpska.

Der Rat hat die positive Bewertung gebilligt, die die Kommission zu den geänderten Aufbau- und Resilienzplänen der Niederlande, Portugals, der Slowakei und Spaniens abgegeben hat.

Der Rat hat eine allgemeine Ausrichtung zur Richtlinie über die Mehrwertsteuervorschriften für Fernverkäufe eingeführter Gegenstände und die Mehrwertsteuer bei der Einfuhr festgelegt.

In the context of a visit to the Western Balkan region, European Council President António Costa met in Belgrade with the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić. During the joint press conference, he reaffirmed the EU’s strong commitment to Serbia’s accession, emphasising that now there is a momentum that must be seized through swift reforms. He stressed that accession is a merit-based process, highlighting the need for full alignment with EU foreign policy, including support for Ukraine and strong condemnation of Russia's war of aggression.

Der Rat hat Schlussfolgerungen zur Prüfung des Rechtsrahmens für audiovisuelle Mediendienste und Video-Sharing-Plattform-Dienste in der EU im Vorfeld der bevorstehenden Überprüfung der Richtlinie über audiovisuelle Mediendienste gebilligt.