Italy’s decision to join US President Donald Trump’s peace board as an observer reflects constitutional limits rather than political hesitation, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Monday.
Rome accepted an invitation to participate but rejected full membership, arguing that parts of the board’s statute clash with Italian law. Speaking after talks with Canadian counterpart Anita Anand, Tajani said observer status was “appropriate” given the legal framework. Italy wants “to be a protagonist, but as observers, as the European Commission will be”, he said, stressing that the choice preserves constitutional consistency.
The core issue, Tajani explained, lies in Article 9 of the board’s statute. That provision conflicts with the Constitution, which allows Italy to join supranational bodies only on equal terms with other members.
For that reason, he said, Rome could not sign up fully under the current rules.
Tajani linked Italy’s participation to its existing commitment to Gaza. Italy has “already given a lot” and will continue to do so, he said, adding that Rome is “among the countries in the world that have given the most”. Observer status at the Board of Peace, he argued, does not reduce Italy’s concrete role.
Italy prepared to expand its operational presence on the ground
Tajani said Rome is ready to train new Palestinian police forces and to increase the number of Italian Carabinieri deployed in Rafah. Such measures reflect Italy’s “direct interest in the stability of the Middle East” and in “building peace”, he said.
Trump’s Board of Peace is intended to support peace and reconstruction in Gaza before addressing other global conflicts. Critics argue the initiative risks sidelining the United Nations and established multilateral mechanisms. However, the Italian government has dismissed claims that observer participation undermines international law.
Meloni says observer status allows Italy and Europe to be ‘present’
Tajani is due to report to parliament on Tuesday following comments by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the weekend. Meloni confirmed Italy’s observer role while attending the Italy-Africa summit in Addis Ababa. She said the arrangement resolves “the obvious problem” of constitutional compatibility.
Last month, Meloni said Italy was interested in joining the board but unable to do so fully. She cited elements that conflict with the Constitution and said she had asked Trump to change the board’s “configuration”. Observer status, she said, allows Italy and Europe to remain present.
Meloni argued that Italy’s long-standing engagement in the Middle East makes its involvement necessary.
“With all the work Italy has done, is doing, and must do, an Italian presence, and also a European presence, is necessary,” she said. She added that the extent of participation remains to be defined.
Opposition parties reacted sharply to the announcement
Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein accused Meloni of damaging Italy’s diplomatic tradition to avoid displeasing Trump. She said the move risks circumventing constitutional limits on unequal supranational bodies.
Criticism was even stronger from centrist Azione leader Carlo Calenda. He described the board as “a gang of dictators, businessmen and profiteers”, led for life by Trump and entrusted to Jared Kushner. Calenda also attacked what he called Kushner’s “delusional Palm Beach-style” redevelopment vision for Gaza.
