EU Commission Vice-President Dubravka Šuica is set to be grilled by member states at Monday’s Foreign Affairs Council, where she will brief ministers on her visit to the inauguration of Donald Trump’s Board of Peace.
Šuica has been at the centre of controversy and faced criticism for attending the event in Washington as an observer. France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, said the European Commission lacked a mandate from member states to take part in the meeting.
The criticism stemming from the Commission overstepping its mandate on foreign policy, without the approval of the 27 member states.
The Board of Peace is an initiative launched by Trump aimed at finding solutions to international conflicts. However, several EU countries have criticised the project, arguing it could sideline the United Nations and grant Trump a lifelong presidency of the body.
Šuica, who is the Commissioner for the Mediterranean, will attend Monday’s Foreign Affairs Council to inform member states about her trip to Washington, sources familiar with the matter told Euronews.
Several EU countries are expected to raise whether the Commission made a mistake by attending and whether it had the legal mandate to do so. Alongside France, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, Sweden and Portugal have raised objections to Šuica’s participation in the Washington gathering.
On Monday, EU foreign ministers will also discuss the situations in Ukraine and the Middle East. They are set to host the Director-General of the Board of Peace for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, for discussions.
Speaking on Thursday, Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho defended Šuica’s participation, saying the EU needs to be at the table.
“Otherwise we will simply be a payer and not a player” in Gaza’s future recovery, the spokesperson said.
Fourteen EU countries took part in Thursday’s Board of Peace launch event in Washington. Bulgaria and Hungary joined as full members, while the other 12 EU countries attended as observers, represented by ministers or diplomats.