European Commission to Send Observer to Donald Trump's Peace Council Meeting

Commissioner for the Mediterranean Region Dubravka Šuica will travel to Washington this Thursday to participate in the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace. This initiative was established by President Donald Trump as an alternative to existing diplomatic formats, including UN structures. European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier explained that Šuica's presence serves to present the community's position on the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. However, Brussels has firmly distanced itself from full membership in this council, opting for observer status. For decades, the United Nations and the Middle East Quartet have been the main negotiation frameworks for the peace process between Israel and Palestine. Donald Trump's initiative poses a challenge to them, causing divisions among US allies in Europe. The decision to send a delegate has stirred considerable emotions within the European Union itself. Some member states express concern that the European Commission is taking such steps without a clear mandate from national governments. Critics fear that the presence of the EU commissioner at the Donald Trump US Institute of Peace could be interpreted as legitimizing a forum that many view as competitive to traditional multilateral diplomacy. Nevertheless, Brussels argues that abandoning dialogue would be a mistake, especially in light of the pressing needs of the Mediterranean region. „The European Commission is not becoming a member of the Peace Council; we are participating in this meeting solely in our longstanding capacity as an observer.” — Guillaume Mercier 19 countries that have signed the founding charter of the new organization are expected to attend the meeting. The European Union, despite not signing the programmatic document, seeks to maintain influence over the shaping of peace talks. Šuica's participation is interpreted as a cautious attempt to manage relations with the Trump administration while maintaining distance from its political projects. The coming days will show whether this compromise satisfies member states demanding greater transparency in contacts with Washington. 19 — countries have signed the founding charter of the new Peace Council [{"dateISO": "2026-02-16", "date": "February 16, 2026", "event": "EU participation confirmed by Commission spokesperson"}, {"dateISO": "2026-02-19", "date": "February 19, 2026", "event": "Inaugural Peace Council meeting in Washington"}]