President of the European Council António Costa hopes that during Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the EU, substantial progress will be achieved in negotiations with candidate countries for membership in the European Union, which include Ukraine.
He stated in Dublin on Wednesday at the opening ceremony of the Irish presidency, which began on July 1 and will end on December 31, that the recent official opening of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova showed that their commitment to enlargement was their best investment in peace, security, stability, and prosperity in Europe. He added that they had started negotiations on the first cluster and wanted to open all other clusters as quickly as possible. According to him, they must build on this renewed momentum in the accession process and work together to achieve substantial progress in negotiations with all candidate countries during the Irish presidency. Prior to Ireland, Cyprus chaired the Council of the EU, and after Ireland, the presidency will pass to Lithuania. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also present at the ceremony.
Costa noted that the motto of the Irish presidency was crystal clear, namely "strength in unity." He emphasized that it was now time to bring the wisdom and positivity gained during Ireland’s journey in the European Union to help Europe navigate this difficult global geopolitical turning point. He specified that values, competitiveness, and security were the three pillars of their presidency’s agenda and that they were also key priorities for their Union.
He reminded that the European Union was a union of values. He stated that peace, democracy, solidarity, and security were in their DNA. He stressed that now, more than ever, the European Union had to protect those values in Europe and across the world. He welcomed their commitment to strengthening the role of the European Union as a principled global player, as well as their firm support for the United Nations, multilateralism, and respect for international law.
According to the President of the European Council, those principles lay at the core of what they had to continue to defend more than ever, and efforts should be aimed at achieving peace and security in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, and across the entire Middle East. He expressed conviction that they must also remain at the center of efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. He concluded that the presence of President Zelenskyy there that day was a powerful reminder that their commitment remained unwavering, but their vision went beyond the war, because Ukraine’s future was in the European Union.
