António Costa, President of the European Council of the European Union, affirming that the bloc is “a project of peace, of reconciliation, of social justice”, said the alternative to the rules-based international order “is a chaotic and violent world”.  He cited Sudan — “an underreported and devastating conflict with destruction of huge proportions” — and Gaza, a humanitarian catastrophe that “shocks the world’s conscience”.  Calling the use of starvation as a weapon of war “immoral”, he further condemned terrorism in all its forms.  The horrific attacks by Hamas cannot be forgotten, and “we stand with Israel’s right to security”, he stated, calling for the immediate release of the hostages.

Citing the importance of a negotiated two-State solution, he noted the bloc is the largest provider of humanitarian aid to Palestinians — and has been the largest supporter of the Palestinian Authority.  However, “peace in the Middle East requires a collective response,”, he said.  Turning to Ukraine, a sovereign nation “brutally attacked by a permanent member of the Security Council”, he stressed:  “If we accept Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, no country will ever be safe,” as the “root cause” of the war is Moscow’s refusal to accept Ukraine’s right to choose its own future.  He voiced support for Ukrainian efforts to bring Moscow to the negotiation table, its future reconstruction, and security guarantees to prevent future attacks — and “in their path to full membership in the European Union”. 

On human rights, he affirmed that social protection, decent work, equality between women and men and the fight against poverty “are not optional”.  Taking up AI, he noted the bloc champions a human-centred approach, currently pioneering the world’s first comprehensive regulatory framework to ensure that digital technologies empower citizens — “not autocrats or the new technology oligarchs”.

“Climate change is not fake news,”, he affirmed, but a scientifically proven fact that affects the present and future. The European Union embraces the commitments of the Paris Agreement, reducing emissions by 55 per cent by 2030 and achieving climate neutrality by 2050.  Its member States provide 42 per cent of global development aid.  Calling for “trade deals, not tariffs”, he noted the bloc is advancing deals with the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), Mexico, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.  “In today’s multipolar world, there is no Global South or Global North — both are plural,” he stated.  Recalling how Europe rebuilt itself from the ashes of the Second World War through peace, reconciliation and integration, he affirmed:  “We know these principles work — because they worked for us.”