António Costa was appointed President of the European Council in December 2024. Before that, he was Prime Minister of Portugal from 2015 until 2024. He first became a member of parliament in 1991, before being appointed Secretary of State for Parliamentary Affairs in 1995 and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs in 1997. From 1999 to 2002, he served as Minister for Justice. He then chaired the Socialist Party Parliamentary Group until 2004. Costa served as a member and Vice-President of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2005. He was then appointed Minister for the Interior, before being elected Mayor of Lisbon in 2007, 2009 and 2013. He also served as a member of the European Committee of the Regions from 2010 to 2015, adding to his already extensive experience in the Council of the European Union and in the European Parliament. He holds a law degree from the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon, and a post-graduate degree in European studies and a post-graduate degree in contractual litigation, mediation and arbitration, both from Lisbon Catholic University.