European Council President António Costa will meet Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar in Budapest on Wednesday, 2 September, as part of a wider tour of EU member states. Costa announced the meeting in a statement on Friday, outlining the schedule for the second week of his tour of European capitals.
On Wednesday, the European Council president is due to meet Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden before travelling to Zagreb for talks with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. He will then continue to Budapest, where he is scheduled to meet Magyar.
The Budapest meeting will be one of a series of discussions Costa is holding with EU leaders as the bloc prepares for negotiations on its next long-term budget.
Costa touring EU member states
Costa announced on Monday that he would visit most EU member states between 25 August and 17 September. The tour is intended to give him an opportunity to discuss key European issues directly with national leaders, including the European Union’s next long-term budget, formally known as the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).
The EU’s long-term budget sets spending priorities and funding levels for a seven-year period and is expected to be one of the bloc’s major political negotiations in the coming years. Costa’s meetings with national leaders are therefore aimed at gathering their views and building common ground ahead of the wider discussions at EU level.
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The meeting will be one of Magyar’s first high-level discussions with the president of the European Council since taking office as Hungary’s prime minister. The European Council brings together the heads of state or government of the EU’s member states and sets the bloc’s overall political direction and priorities. Costa has served as its president since December 2024.
His meeting with Magyar in Budapest is expected to provide an opportunity to discuss Hungary’s position on the EU’s future budget as well as European priorities. Costa’s tour will continue until 17 September, with the European Council president scheduled to meet leaders in most EU member states during the three-week diplomatic effort.
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