António Costa

**António Luís Santos da Costa** <small>GCIH</small> (born 17 July 1961) is a Portuguese lawyer and politician who has been the President of the European Council since 2024. He was the 119th Prime Minister of Portugal from 26 November 2015 to 2 April 2024. He served as Mayor of Lisbon from 2007 to 2015. He was elected as Secretary-General of the Socialist Party in September 2014. His near-9 year tenure as prime minister is the longest of any officeholder in the Iberian Peninsula in the 21st century.

On 7 November 2023, Costa resigned after ongoing searches and arrests involving members of his Socialist government. This resignation was accepted by the president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, a few hours later.

After his resignation, Costa was elected as President of the European Council.

## Early life

Costa was born in 1961 in Lisbon, Portugal. He is the son of writer Orlando da Costa and journalist Maria Antónia Palla.

Costa graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon in the 1980s. He first entered politics when he was elected as a Socialist deputy to the municipal council. He later practiced law briefly from 1988, before entering politics full-time.

## President of the European Council

In the aftermath of the 2024 European Parliament election, Costa was seen as the frontrunner candidate for the Presidency of the European Council. On 27 June 2024, Costa was elected as President of the European Council, one of the three most important leadership posts of the European Union, by the 27 EU member state leaders.

## Personal life

In 1987, Costa married Fernanda Maria Gonçalves Tadeu, a teacher. The couple have a son and a daughter. Costa also holds an Overseas Citizenship of India.

## Other websites

- Biography in the Portuguese Government site

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **honorific-prefix**: Excellency, His Excellency
- **name**: António Costa
- **honorific-suffix**: Order of Prince Henry, GCIH
- **image**: Novinarska konferenca predsednika vlade dr. Goloba in predsednika Evropskega sveta (54760809006)(cropped).jpg
- **caption**: Costa in 2025
- **office**: President of the European Council
- **term start**: 1 December 2024
- **predecessor**: Charles Michel
- **office1**: Prime Minister of Portugal
- **term start1**: 26 November 2015
- **term end1**: 2 April 2024
- **predecessor1**: Pedro Passos Coelho
- **successor1**: Luís Montenegro
- **president1**: Aníbal Cavaco Silva
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
- **office2**: Secretary-General of the Socialist Party (Portugal), Secretary-General of the Socialist Party
- **president2**: Carlos César
- **deputy2**: Ana Catarina Mendes
José Luís Carneiro
João Torres
- **term start2**: 22 November 2014
- **term end2**: 7 January 2024
- **predecessor2**: António José Seguro
- **successor2**: Pedro Nuno Santos
- **office3**: Leader of the Opposition (Portugal), Leader of the Opposition
- **primeminister3**: Pedro Passos Coelho
- **term start3**: 22 November 2014
- **term end3**: 26 November 2015
- **predecessor3**: António José Seguro
- **successor3**: Pedro Passos Coelho
- **office4**: List of mayors of Lisbon, Mayor of Lisbon
- **term start4**: 1 August 2007
- **term end4**: 6 April 2015
- **predecessor4**: Carmona Rodrigues
- **successor4**: Fernando Medina (politician), Fernando Medina
- **office5**: Ministry of Internal Administration (Portugal), Minister of Internal Administration
- **primeminister5**: José Sócrates
- **term start5**: 12 March 2005
- **term end5**: 17 May 2007
- **predecessor5**: Daniel Sanches
- **successor5**: Rui Pereira (politician), Rui Pereira
- **office6**: Ministry of Justice (Portugal), Minister of Justice
- **primeminister6**: António Guterres
- **term start6**: 25 October 1999
- **term end6**: 6 April 2002
- **predecessor6**: José Vera Jardim
- **successor6**: Celeste Cardona
- **office7**: Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (Portugal), Minister of Parliamentary Affairs
- **primeminister7**: António Guterres
- **term start7**: 27 November 1997
- **term end7**: 25 October 1999
- **predecessor7**: António Couto dos Santos
- **successor7**: Luís Marques Mendes
- **office8**: Member of the Assembly of the Republic (Portugal), Member of the Assembly of the Republic
- **term start8**: 23 October 2015
- **term end8**: 26 March 2024
- **constituency8**: Lisbon (Assembly of the Republic constituency), Lisbon
- **term start9**: 5 April 2002
- **term end9**: 9 March 2005
- **constituency9**: Leiria (Assembly of the Republic constituency), Leiria
- **term start10**: 4 November 1991
- **term end10**: 26 October 1995
- **constituency10**: Lisbon
- **office11**: Member of the European Parliament
- **term start11**: 20 July 2004
- **term end11**: 11 March 2005
- **constituency11**: Portugal (European Parliament constituency), Portugal
- **birth place**: Lisbon, Estado Novo (Portugal), Portugal
- **party**: Socialist Party (Portugal), Socialist Party (since 1975)
- **children**: 2
- **father**: Orlando da Costa
- **mother**: Maria Antónia Palla
- **alma mater**: University of Lisbon
- **signature**: AssinaturaAntónioCosta.svg
- **branch**: Portuguese Army