EU Commission to attend Trump's Board of Peace meeting as observer

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – EU Commissioner Dubravka Suica will travel to Washington this week to attend a meeting of the Board of Peace, as set up by US President Donald Trump, in her capacity as an observer, a spokesperson for the EU Commission said on Monday.

"The EU Commission is not becoming a member to the board of peace, we are participating in this meeting precisely in our longstanding commitment to the implementation of the ceasefire in Gaza, as well as to take part in international efforts to support reconstruction and the post-war recovery in Gaza," spokesperson Guillaume Mercier told reporters.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was invited to the Thursday meeting but will not participate, he said.

Another Commission spokesperson, Anouar El Anouni, said the EU still has “a number of questions” about elements of the Board’s charter, including its governance and its compatibility with the UN Charter.

“Having said that, we’re certainly prepared to work together with the US when it comes to the implementation of the peace plan for Gaza,” he said.

While the EU as an institution will not join Trump’s Board of Peace, two EU member countries — Hungary and Bulgaria — participated in a signing ceremony in Davos last month.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said during a visit to Ethiopia that Rome could consider joining as an observer, but cited constitutional constraints that would prevent full membership.

Cyprus’ government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis told national media that the country received an invitation to participate in the meeting on Thursday and will attend as an observer.

Šuica’s attendance follows diplomatic groundwork laid at the Munich Security Conference last week, where the EU co-hosted (with France and Germany) a meeting of European and Arab partners to coordinate early recovery efforts in Gaza.