TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The European Union will continue engaging with the proposed Board of Peace for Gaza initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump, despite internal divisions within the bloc over the initiative.
According to an Associated Press report cited by Middle East Monitor, EU diplomats are scheduled to meet with the board’s director as discussions move forward.
Trump has appointed Nikolay Mladenov, a United Nations diplomat, to oversee the council. He is set to meet EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas as well as foreign ministers from EU member states.
The Board of Peace forms part of a 20-point ceasefire plan that took effect on October 10 and was later ratified in Davos on January 22. The body held its first official meeting in Washington last Thursday.
Despite engaging in dialogue, the EU has made clear that it does not endorse the initiative and will not join as a member. Ursula von der Leyen declined an invitation to attend the Washington meeting. Instead, the European Commission sent Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Šuica in an observer capacity.
Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho said it was within the Commission’s prerogative to accept the invitation. Twelve EU member states, including Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Greece, also dispatched observers to the inaugural session.
Objections from Member States
The Commission’s decision has drawn criticism, particularly from France. On February 19, the French Foreign Ministry expressed surprise, arguing that the EU did not have a mandate to represent member states in the forum.
Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said the board “needed to recentre to focus on Gaza in line with a United Nations Security Council resolution,” adding that France would not participate until ambiguities surrounding the initiative are resolved.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also criticized the move, writing on X that “the European Commission should never have attended the Board of Peace meeting in Washington”.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez similarly declined the invitation, arguing that the initiative diverges from international law and does not involve the Palestinian Authority.
Criticism from the European Parliament
According to Politico, the Commission’s decision to send a representative to Washington has also been criticized by socialist, liberal and green groups in the European Parliament.
In a letter addressed to von der Leyen, the lawmakers described the move as “a grave error of judgement”.
“Participation by a Commissioner in a politically contested diplomatic initiative without a defined mandate disrupts the institutional balance and risks breaching the principle of sincere cooperation between EU institutions and Member States,” the letter said. “Respect for the treaties is essential.”
The groups urged the Commission to clearly distance itself from Trump’s Board of Peace, refrain from sending observers to future meetings, and halt all forms of participation.
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