Italy will not join US President Donald Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace”, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Saturday, citing insurmountable constitutional barriers.
The initiative was announced by Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, with 19 countries signing its founding charter. However, Italy’s constitution prevents the country from becoming part of an organisation led by a single foreign leader.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is regarded as an ally of Trump, last month acknowledged constitutional obstacles to participation. She suggested that the framework could be revised to address the concerns of Italy and other European states.
Tajani appeared on Saturday to dismiss that possibility. “We cannot participate in the Board of Peace because there is a constitutional limit,” he told the ANSA news agency.
“This is insurmountable from a legal standpoint,” he added, a day after holding talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Vice President JD Vance during the Olympics in Milan.
Although the board was initially presented as a body to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction, its charter does not confine its role to the Palestinian territory and appears to challenge the authority of the United Nations.
Several close US allies, including France and Britain, have voiced reservations about joining the initiative.
