The European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, will travel to Washington later this week to attend the first formal gathering of US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, sources told Euronews.
The move signals Brussels is not prepared to fully write off cooperation with the Trump-chaired board, even if most EU member states have rejected a formal membership and the European Commission’s legal concerns over its charter and governance.
A European Commission spokesperson said later on Monday that Šuica will participate only in the “specific part” of the meeting “dedicated to Gaza”, adding that her participation comes in the context of the EU’s “long-standing commitment to supporting the ceasefire” and international efforts to “support the reconstruction and post-war recovery” of the territory.
The spokesperson stressed that it is not joining as an official sitting member of the Board, and it remains unclear whether it will assume “observer status”.
Another Commission spokesperson said that the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, is “in touch” with EU governments to coordinate on their engagements with the Board.
Italy, Romania, Greece and Cyprus have all accepted invitations by the Trump administration to participate as observers.
Foreign affairs ministers will discuss the issue when they gather in Brussels next week, and will be joined by Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov, appointed by Trump as High Representative for Gaza and tasked with linking up the Board of Peace with a technocratic Palestinian committee responsible for running its day-to-day business.
An EU official said the bloc wants to play a role in the reconstruction of Gaza despite numerous concerns over the Board’s executive set-up, which was initially conceived as a vehicle to rebuild the territory and now has expanded its mandate to “global peace.”
Brussels has also raised issues with the Board’s “scope, governance and compatibility with the UN Charter,” of which all 27 member states are signatories.
Still, as the biggest donor of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, with a total contribution of €1.65 billion to the territories since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas on 7 October 2023, the EU does not want to get sidelined by the US.
EU members defend participation
The Board of Peace, inaugurated by Trump in Davos in January, was originally intended to oversee post-war Gaza’s transition as part of the 20-point peace plan agreed last year.
But its charter has raised multiple concerns in European capitals, not least because Trump would serve as the Board’s chairman indefinitely, even after his presidency ends.
The inclusion of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the Board also makes membership politically untenable for most EU countries while the war in Ukraine still rages on.
Italy, Cyprus, Greece and Romania have all confirmed they have accepted invitations to participate as “observers” rather than sitting members. Only two EU member states – Hungary and Bulgaria – have accepted invitations to sit as members. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close ally of Trump, will join Thursday’s meeting in person.
Still, the move shows EU member states who want to maintain a good relationship with the Trump administration have put aside their legal concerns in exchange for influence.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who had previously said that Italian constitution prevented Rome from joining, suggested over the weekend that observer status provided a “good solution” after receiving an invitation letter from the US President.
She suggested other countries have also been invited to observe, some of which are yet to respond. It is not clear who will represent Italy at this stage.
As for Romania, President Nicușor Dan, who holds foreign policy powers under his title, confirmed on Sunday that he would travel to Washington to attend the talks.
