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A confidential European legal document has revealed legal and constitutional concerns surrounding the powers granted to U.S. President Donald Trump of the "Peace Council" regarding Gaza, warning that "they may conflict with principles of international administrative law, particularly with respect to establishing subsidiary bodies and mechanisms for member-state participation."
The document, reported by Al Arabiya on Thursday, claimed that the powers granted to the U.S. President of the Peace Council under its charter conflict with international administrative law rules when it comes to establishing subsidiary bodies.
It also noted that requiring the council president’s approval, U.S. President Donald Trump, for the level of participation of any member state constitutes an unjustified interference in each state’s organizational autonomy.
The European legal analysis in the document concludes that "the Peace Council’s charter raises concerns from the perspective of the European Union’s constitutional principles."
In the same context, the European Commission said it welcomed President Trump’s invitation for Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to take part in the Peace Council, stressing that von der Leyen is continuing consultations with European countries and regional partners on the importance of EU participation in the body.
The commission said the commission president will not attend the Peace Council meeting scheduled for Thursday morning in Davos.
These developments come amid differing European positions on the Peace Council. France has announced it is refusing, for now, to participate, while Hungary has said it will take part.
Norway, Italy, Sweden and Britain will not take part in Thursday’s signing ceremony in Davos for U.S. President Donald Trump’s "Board of Peace," according to media reports.
Saudi Arabia and eight Muslim-majority countries, including Gaza mediators Qatar and Türkiye, have agreed to join the initiative, the Saudi foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
This reflects varying assessments among European states of the council’s nature, role and mechanisms for engagement.
The White House announced on January 16 the formation of the Board of Peace alongside the approval of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, one of four bodies designated to manage the transitional phase in the enclave.
The first charter of his so-called “Board of Peace” is a body for resolving international conflicts with a $1 billion price tag for permanent membership.
Trump first proposed the Board of Peace last September when he announced his plan to end the Gaza war. He later made clear the board's remit would be expanded beyond Gaza to tackle other conflicts worldwide.
The U.S. president will be the inaugural chairman of the board and it will be tasked with promoting peace around the world and working to resolve conflicts, according to a copy of the draft charter seen by Reuters.
The board, which Trump will launch with what has been billed as a signing ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza.
But a draft of the charter seen by Agence France-Presse (AFP) does not appear to limit its role to the Palestinian territory.
"This is not a U.N. plan," a United Nations spokesman in Geneva said on Tuesday. "It was endorsed, or rather authorized, by the Security Council strictly for its work in Gaza."
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The Board of Peace will be chaired by Trump, according to its founding charter sent to countries invited to participate.
It is “an international organization that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict,” reads its preamble.
It will “undertake such peace-building functions in accordance with international law,” it added.
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