António Costa

His Excellency

António Costa

GCIH
Costa in 2025
President of the European Council
Assumed office
1 December 2024
Preceded byCharles Michel
Prime Minister of Portugal
In office
26 November 2015 – 2 April 2024
PresidentAníbal Cavaco Silva
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
Preceded byPedro Passos Coelho
Succeeded byLuís Montenegro
Secretary-General of the Socialist Party
In office
22 November 2014 – 7 January 2024
PresidentCarlos César
DeputyAna Catarina Mendes
José Luís Carneiro
João Torres
Preceded byAntónio José Seguro
Succeeded byPedro Nuno Santos
Leader of the Opposition
In office
22 November 2014 – 26 November 2015
Prime MinisterPedro Passos Coelho
Preceded byAntónio José Seguro
Succeeded byPedro Passos Coelho
Mayor of Lisbon
In office
1 August 2007 – 6 April 2015
Preceded byCarmona Rodrigues
Succeeded byFernando Medina
Minister of Internal Administration
In office
12 March 2005 – 17 May 2007
Prime MinisterJosé Sócrates
Preceded byDaniel Sanches
Succeeded byRui Pereira
Minister of Justice
In office
25 October 1999 – 6 April 2002
Prime MinisterAntónio Guterres
Preceded byJosé Vera Jardim
Succeeded byCeleste Cardona
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs
In office
27 November 1997 – 25 October 1999
Prime MinisterAntónio Guterres
Preceded byAntónio Couto dos Santos
Succeeded byLuís Marques Mendes
Member of the Assembly of the Republic[1][2]
In office
23 October 2015 – 26 March 2024
ConstituencyLisbon
In office
5 April 2002 – 9 March 2005
ConstituencyLeiria
In office
4 November 1991 – 26 October 1995
ConstituencyLisbon
Member of the European Parliament
In office
20 July 2004 – 11 March 2005
ConstituencyPortugal
Personal details
Born
António Luís Santos da Costa

(1961-07-17) 17 July 1961
Lisbon, Portugal
Political partySocialist Party (since 1975)
Height1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)
Spouse(s)
Fernanda Tadeu
​
(m. 1987)​
Children2
MotherMaria Antónia Palla
FatherOrlando da Costa
Alma materUniversity of Lisbon
Signature
Websiteportugal.gov.pt/pm
Military service
Allegiance Portugal
Branch/servicePortuguese Army

António Luís Santos da Costa GCIH (born 17 July 1961) is a Portuguese lawyer and politician who has been the President of the European Council since 2024. He was the 119th Prime Minister of Portugal from 26 November 2015 to 2 April 2024. He served as Mayor of Lisbon from 2007 to 2015. He was elected as Secretary-General of the Socialist Party in September 2014.[3] His near-9 year tenure as prime minister is the longest of any officeholder in the Iberian Peninsula in the 21st century.[4]

On 7 November 2023, Costa resigned after ongoing searches and arrests involving members of his Socialist government. This resignation was accepted by the president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, a few hours later.[5][6]

After his resignation, Costa was elected as President of the European Council.[7]

Early life

Costa was born in 1961 in Lisbon, Portugal. He is the son of writer Orlando da Costa and journalist Maria Antónia Palla.[8][9]

Costa graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon in the 1980s. He first entered politics when he was elected as a Socialist deputy to the municipal council.[10] He later practiced law briefly from 1988, before entering politics full-time.[11]

President of the European Council

In the aftermath of the 2024 European Parliament election, Costa was seen as the frontrunner candidate for the Presidency of the European Council.[12] On 27 June 2024, Costa was elected as President of the European Council, one of the three most important leadership posts of the European Union, by the 27 EU member state leaders.[7]

Personal life

In 1987, Costa married Fernanda Maria Gonçalves Tadeu, a teacher. The couple have a son and a daughter. Costa also holds an Overseas Citizenship of India.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "António Costa, Assembleia da República".
  2. ↑ "As legislaturas da Assembleia da República".
  3. ↑ António Costa's Biography on the Portuguese Government's official webpage.
  4. ↑ "António Costa, o homem que "brilhou como nunca" com a geringonça mas que foi "devorado por um carrossel de escândalos"". Correio da Manhã (in Portuguese). 31 March 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  5. ↑ "Portugal's PM Costa resigns over corruption investigation". Reuters. 2023-11-07. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  6. ↑ "Face a buscas e detenções, Marcelo recebeu Costa a pedido deste em Belém". Notícias ao Minuto (in Portuguese). 2023-11-07. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  7. 1 2 "Von der Leyen, Costa and Kallas bag EU top jobs". Poltico Europe. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  8. ↑ Then Came A Gandhi Archived 12 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine, outlookindia.com, retrieved 10 September 2015
  9. ↑ "'Proud of my roots in Goa': Portugal PM Antonio Costa's Q&A with HT". Hindustan Times. 6 January 2017. Archived from the original on 11 March 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  10. ↑ "António Costa" (PDF). Jornal de Campanha — Socialist Party. August 2015. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  11. ↑ Axel Bugge (4 October 2015), Portuguese Socialist leader Costa candidate for PM Archived 16 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine Reuters.
  12. ↑ Morales, Aitor Hernández (13 June 2024). "Can António Costa be EU Council president despite his legal woes?". Poltico Europe. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  13. ↑ "PM Narendra Modi presents OCI card to Portugal's Indian-origin PM Antonio Costa". 24 June 2017. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.

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