Italy will attend Donald Trump's new Board of Peace only as an observer due to constitutional limitations, as Premier Giorgia Meloni faces harsh criticism at home.
Italy will attend the first meeting of US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace as an observer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced on Saturday, citing constitutional concerns that prevented Rome from joining as a full member.
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Meloni made the announcement during a visit to Ethiopia for the African Union summit in Addis Ababa. Italy received the invitation on Friday for the 19 February meeting in Washington.
"We were invited as an observer country and in our opinion it is a good solution with respect to the problem that we clearly have of constitutional compatibility with membership of the Board of Peace," Meloni told journalists.
The Italian Constitution permits participation in international organisations only on equal terms with other states, which Meloni said conflicts with the Board's structure that grants Trump extensive executive powers.
Meloni said Italy has not yet determined what level of representation will attend the Washington meeting.
Trump announced on Sunday that member states have pledged more than $5 billion toward Gaza humanitarian and reconstruction efforts. The US president said the meeting will also address commitments for an international stabilisation force.
At least 20 countries are expected to attend the first formal Board of Peace session, according to US officials. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar will represent Israel at the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli officials said on Saturday.
Romania will also be represented at the session, with President Nicușor Dan to attend as an observer, Dan confirmed in a post on X.
Cyprus confirmed on Saturday that it will also attend as an observer. Hungary and Bulgaria are the only EU member states to join the Board as full members.
Opposition accuses Meloni of subservience to Trump
Meanwhile, opposition Democratic Party (PD) leader Elly Schlein accused Meloni of political subservience to Trump following the announcement.
"Far from leadership, Meloni places herself on the margins of the European project, chasing Trump's impositions instead of strengthening the Union's ties and fighting for European autonomy," Schlein said.
Schlein said joining a supranational body without equal footing "means trying to circumvent our constitution, which proves to be an increasingly topical instrument to protect the national interest and citizens".
Angelo Bonelli, a lawmaker from the Green-Left Alliance (AVS) and co-spokesperson for Europa Verde, said "Meloni has turned Italy into a political protectorate of Donald Trump".
The Five Star Movement (M5S) requested an urgent briefing on Italy's role in the Board of Peace. Stefano Patuanelli, the movement's Senate group leader, said "a parliamentary, transparent and formal passage is needed".
Meloni defends Trump from German criticism
Meloni also distanced herself from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's criticism of Trump's MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement, which Merz called non-European at the Munich Security Conference.
"These are political assessments, albeit legitimate," Meloni said in an interview with Corriere della Sera. "Each leader makes them as they see fit, but this is not an issue for the European Union, these are assessments that are up to the parties."
Meloni said Europe should work "towards greater integration between Europe and the US" and "to enhance what unites us rather than what can divide us".
Trump launched the Board of Peace at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January. The body was initially conceived to oversee Gaza reconstruction but Trump has suggested expanding its remit to address conflicts worldwide.