BRUSSELS, November 29. /TASS/. Outgoing European Council President and former Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel has officially handed over his powers to former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa at the headquarters of the organization in Brussels, a TASS correspondent reported.

Costa's term as president of the European Council will begin on December 1, 2024. On the same day, Ursula von der Leyen’s term as president of the European Commission will be extended.

The political direction of the European Union (EU) will not be changed by the rearrangement. The president of the European Council has no executive functions and works alongside the president of the European Commission, the European Union (EU) representative on the international stage at the highest level. Together with his staff, the president of the European Council performs the technical functions of chairing the meetings of the European Council, which includes the heads of state and government of all EU countries, and resolving any disputes that arise in the European Council.

Costa was appointed to the position of president of the European Council at the EU summit in June 2024, just as the mandate of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was extended.