European Council

Before the start of the informal meeting of heads of state or government of 1 October 2025, European Council President António Costa addressed the press in Copenhagen.

European Council President António Costa met with the Mayors for Housing Alliance in Brussels, followed by a press conference. 

President Costa and President von der Leyen received letters of credence from the Ambassadors of Iceland and Israel.

Council approves conclusions on life science for the Union’s competitiveness.

Council approves conclusions on the importance of research and innovation for the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy.

Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the parliamentary elections in Moldova held on 28 September 2025.

On 29 September 2025, European Council President António Costa was in Madrid at the New Economy Forum to give a speech after receiving the Forum Europa Prize from the King of Spain.

The Council prolonged sanctions regime by one year, in the light of the political and social situation in Nicaragua.

The Council has adopted a regulation that will improve the overall quality of population and housing statistics collected at EU level by establishing a common legal framework for data collection.

Carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM): Council and Parliament reach a provisional agreement on its simplification.

Today the Council adopted the soil monitoring law to track soil health, manage contaminated sites and mitigate land take, aiming for healthy soils by 2050.

The Council reimposed all the restrictive measures against Iran that had been lifted after the introduction of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in July 2015 in light of UN Security Council’s decision to not extend the lifting of sanctions on Iran following the snapback mechanism invoked by the E3.

Israel/Palestine: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the closure of the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge crossing.

Mali: Déclaration de la Haute Représentante au nom de l'Union européenne.

Weekly schedule of President António Costa, 29 September – 5 October 2025.

Main agenda items, approximate timing, public sessions and press opportunities.

The press briefing will take place on Monday 29 September 2025 at 15.30.

European Council President António Costa addressed the 80th United Nations General Assembly on behalf of the European Union.

The Council and European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on a regulation that would strengthen the role of Europol and enhance police cooperation between EU member states to prevent and combat migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings.

On 25 September 2025, European Council President António Costa was in New York at the UN Security Council on Artificial Intelligence and International Peace and Security, as part of the 80th United Nations General Assembly. In his speech, he emphasized the importance of having a uniform approach to Artificial Intelligence at the international level.