Costa to visit Prague on Thursday as part of Tour des Capitales

European Council President António Costa will begin a four-week tour of EU capitals on Tuesday, with the 2028-2034 EU budget expected to be the main focus. He will meet Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš in Prague on Thursday.

Costa will also discuss defence, competitiveness, EU enlargement and support for Ukraine. The tour will run through September 17, covering most EU member states.

The European Commission proposed a €1.76 trillion budget last year, while Cyprus, which held the EU presidency in the first half of 2026, later put forward a €1.73 trillion negotiating framework. Czechia says the latter is an improvement but remains dissatisfied. EU member states and the European Parliament aim to agree on the new budget by the end of the year.