Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday sealed the Indo-European Union free trade agreement by referring to European Council President Antonio Luis Santos da Costa as the “Gandhi of Lisbon”. Later during his address after sealing the deal, Antonio Luis Santos Da Costa highlighted a personal link with India showing his PIO card at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. The comment drew attention to Costa’s Indian heritage, especially his deep family roots in Goa, even as India and the EU moved closer on trade and strategic cooperation.Who is Antonio Costa?Antonio Costa is a Portuguese lawyer and politician who has served as President of the European Council since 2024. The European Council is the European Union’s top political body, made up of the leaders of all EU member states. It sets the EU’s overall direction and priorities but does not make laws.
Before this role, Costa served as Prime Minister of Portugal from 2015 to 2024. He began his political career as a Member of Parliament and went on to hold several key government positions, including Secretary of State, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Minister of Justice and Minister of the Interior.
Born in Lisbon on July 17, 1961, Costa is married and has a son and a daughter. His journey from a Goan-rooted family to the top table of European politics added an offbeat, human note to the landmark India-EU trade deal.European Council chief Antonio Costa has a Goa linkAntonio Costa is a Person of Indian Origin (PIO) with strong ancestral ties to Goa. In an earlier interview, he said his relatives still live in Margão, where his father once had a house. Costa’s father’s family comes from Goa, and his grandfather was born in the former Portuguese colony and spent most of his life there.
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This Goa connection has long been part of Costa’s personal story, making his presence at India-EU talks more than just a diplomatic formality.
Antonio Costa’s family historyCosta’s father, Orlando da Costa, was a writer born in Mozambique, another former Portuguese colony. His works reflected strong Goan roots and included writings on Rabindranath Tagore, underlining the family’s cultural bridge between India and the Portuguese-speaking world.In India, Antonio Costa is also known as “Babush”, a Konkani name meaning “a young loved one”, a nickname that reflects his emotional link with his ancestral land.Costa’s is a PIO card holder
During a visit to his ancestral home in Goa, Costa received the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman in January 2017. The award recognised his connection with India and his public life abroad, long before he took charge of one of the European Union’s most powerful institutions.
In Portugal, Costa earned the nickname “Gandhi of Lisbon” for his work as mayor of Lisbon, where he gained praise for peacefully transforming a crime-hit neighbourhood through dialogue and negotiation.India-EU FTA DealPrime Minister Modi held delegation-level talks at Hyderabad House with European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Luis Santos da Costa.
The Indian delegation included External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, among others.
The European side was led by Costa and Von Der Leyen, with key leaders such as EU Vice-President Kaja Kallas and European Union Trade Commissioner Marcos Sefcovic also present.