The EU’s Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica will attend this Thursday’s inaugural meeting of US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace in Washington but not as a member, the European Commission confirmed on Monday.
A spokesperson said the EU was not joining the board as a member but will participate to reaffirm its commitment to Gaza’s ceasefire and contribute to international efforts supporting reconstruction and post-war recovery in the region.
“Commissioner Šuica will travel to D.C. later this week. She will participate in the meeting of the Board of Peace for the specific part dedicated to Gaza,” Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho said at a press briefing.
“What matters here is what the EU can bring to the discussions,” Pinho said. “We have expertise. We already have important financial support. And it is in this context that we want to take part.”
The EU is the biggest donor to the Palestinians, having presented a support package of six billion euro last year, with €500 million already provided in humanitarian assistance, according to the Commission.
The Commissioner for the Mediterranean’s confirmed participation comes on the back of a meeting of European and Arab partners, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference last week, to coordinate recovery efforts in Gaza.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had initially been invited to join the contentious Board during the signing ceremony at the Davos Economic Forum last month but chose not to attend. She was also invited to the inaugural meeting but is sending Šuica in her place.
The only EU member states that did show up and are now founding members of the Board of Peace are Hungary and Bulgaria.
Another Commission spokesperson, Anouar El Anouni, was quoted saying 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.
Double-edged sword
Cyprus was also invited to join the Board but also avoided attending the opening ceremony, citing practical difficulties.
When invited to attend the inaugural meeting on February 19, the Cypriot government sat on the invite for a while, trying to figure out how to approach the ‘double-edged sword’.
The Board of Peace was initially set up to oversee Gaza’s demilitarization and reconstruction. However, the Board, as described in its Charter, deviates considerably from the role and purpose foreseen in UN Security Council Resolution 2803, creating challenges for invitees, especially small countries like Cyprus that depend on the fundamental principles of international law to address the ongoing occupation of the island's north.
Nicosia is very keen to participate in the implementation of Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, to act as a maritime corridor for construction materials, and offer its hospitality services to troops serving in the international stabilisation force. In the hope this would also reflect its strategic value to regional heavyweights like Israel and the world’s superpower the United States.
However, it is still not keen to become a fully fledged member of a body that France has accused of seeking to undermine the United Nations. The third way found for Cyprus and other countries is to attend as an observer, as announced by President Nikos Christodoulides on Sunday. Either the president himself or his foreign minister will attend the meeting in Washington this Thursday, he said.
Italy and Greece also choose middle way
Speaking during a visit to Ethiopia on Saturday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni – considered something of an ally of Trump – said Rome would attend as an observer but noted constitutional constraints that prevent the country from becoming a full member. The level of representation has yet to be decided.
Meanwhile, Greece, which also received an invite to be a founding member but failed to show at the opening ceremony, has decided to send its Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Theoharis to Thursday’s Board of Peace meeting as an observer. Prime Minister Kyriacos Mitsotakis will be in India on the day, attending a conference on artificial intelligence with Indian PM Narendra Modi.
Additional sources: Politico, Euronews, CNA