Monday, January 26, 2026-The European Union’s top diplomats are raising an alarm over the structure of President Donald Trump’s newly launched “Board of Peace”, warning that its governance could centralize too much authority in one individual, specifically Trump himself.
An internal EU diplomatic document, dated January 19, highlights that the board’s charter “raises a concern under the EU’s constitutional principles” and that the autonomy of EU legal frameworks clashes with the concentration of powers given to the board’s chairman for life. Critics say this design deviates from international norms and could undermine established multilateral institutions.
Originally introduced as a mechanism to help manage the Gaza conflict and reconstruction, the board has since expanded its stated scope potentially to tackle broader global disputes. European officials argue this expansion strays from the United Nations Security Council‑authorized mandate and risks creating a parallel peace architecture outside the UN’s authority.
Some member states are already opting out, with France and Spain publicly declining participation amid concerns about the initiative’s direction and legal implications.
The backlash isn’t limited to Brussels. Several Western European governments have expressed general skepticism about the initiative’s structure and cost model, which includes a hefty financial threshold for permanent board membership.
While U.S. efforts reflect a desire to reshape conflict resolution mechanisms, the EU’s response underscores a broader resistance to concentrating peace authority outside existing international institutions particularly when governance rules could grant disproportionate control to a single leader.
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