EU yet to decide on status in Board of Peace

European Commissioner for the Mediterranean and Demography Dubravka Šuica will represent the European Commission at a meeting of the Board of Peace to be held in Washington on February 19.

Report's European bureau cites European Commission chief spokesperson Paula Pinho as saying at a press conference in Brussels that the Commission has not decided to become a member of the body.

"Commissioner Šuica will represent the Commission in Washington. The President of the Commission was invited to participate in the Board of Peace, but the Commission will not become a member [of this structure]. Šuica will represent the Commission in her capacity as Commissioner responsible for the Mediterranean, demonstrating Europe's commitment to peace in Gaza," she said.

According to Pinho, the EU is the largest donor to both Gaza and Palestine.

"We are participating in the meeting because we have the right to speak on the issue of peace in Gaza. That is all we can say at this stage," she added.

Another EU spokesperson, Guillaume Mercier, said that at the beginning of last year a multiannual €1.6bn support programme for Palestinians had effectively been established. "We have also provided €500m in humanitarian assistance to Palestinians since October 2023," he said.

"Regardless of the status of participation in the Board of Peace, what matters is what the EU can bring to the discussions. We have experience and we already provide significant financial support, and it is in this context that we want to take part in the talks," he added.

The European Commission did not provide specific answers regarding the commissioner"s mandate at the Washington meeting or whether she could independently seek observer status in the body.

Meanwhile, some EU member states have already outlined their positions. Over the weekend, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that Italy had decided to seek observer status in the Board. Other EU leaders may follow suit.