In the face of an increasingly unstable world, President Costa reiterated the European Union’s “support of multilateralism, international law and the United Nations”. He said that the Middle East crisis and its impact on global energy supply confirm “the path we have chosen is the right one”, advancing decarbonisation and the acceleration of home-grown energy sources, as they contribute to limiting the EU’s reliance on external sources of energy and will lower energy prices in the long term.

In President Costa’s view, the current geopolitical context is a catalyst for the EU’s competitiveness push, while also “putting our values to the test”. He praised the determination of EU leaders to pursue an ambitious economic agenda with clear targets, including the completion of the single market and the savings union, simplification measures, and the 28th regime for businesses, while making sure there are also tangible benefits for European citizens. He insisted that…