The subject of Ukraine was brought to the parliamentary debate on general policy by the sole deputy of Livre, Rui Tavares.

Rui Tavares questioned Portugal's plan for a new development model for the country, given the prospect of European enlargement.

The prime minister began by replying that, from the outset, Portugal has defended that “these accessions have to be taken seriously” so as not to create “false expectations that are inconsequential”.

“But to be taken seriously and to be consistent, the European Union needs a new institutional and budgetary architecture, otherwise this integration will not be a reinforcement of the European Union, but its implosion, not a support for Ukraine, but a trap for Ukraine,” he warned.

Costa recalled that, on Friday, he received all the parties with parliamentary seats regarding this European Council and, in the end, and in the face of an “almost unanimous” favourable position from all political forces (the PCP defended that the priority should be “the dialogue” and the “effort for peace), announced that Portugal will follow the opinion of the European Commission for Ukraine and Moldova to be granted the status of candidate countries to the European Union.