These included a workshop in the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, three workshops organised by the Irish EU Council Presidency and the European Parliament in Paris, Berlin and Sofia in 2013, and a high-level conference in Brussels in May 2013, jointly organised by the Parliament, the Irish EU Council Presidency and the EEAS. The reports, building blocks and discussions fed into the development and establishment of the EIP. After four years of consultations with European governments, international conflict resolution organisations, the European Union bodies, and experts on peace and security, the statutes for the EIP were signed on 18 February 2014. On 5 May 2014, the Board was constituted and the President elected. On 12 May 2014, the Institute was launched by foreign ministers of the member states. Nine European countries (Belgium, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland) voluntarily contribute towards the EIP's annual €3 million budget. The Institute accepts public and private funding and operates as a Belgian non-profit public-interest foundation. A Board of Governors provides strategic direction to the EIP. Pekka Haavisto succeeded Staffan de Mistura as the President of the Board in 2016. The Vice-President is Marc Otte. The Board comprises nine members (Belgium, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland) and may be expanded to a maximum of fifteen. An Advisory Council is being formed to provide advisory opinion on the EIP's work. Consists of up to 20 members who are representative of the broad practice of mediation and dialogue. Members will be selected taking into consideration gender balance, European regional representation, and non-European representation. The EIP is an independent and flexible partner to the EU. The Institute is committed to working with governments and the EU, while remaining autonomous to act rapidly and creatively. It will complement and serve to enhance the mediation work of Europe, bringing its own competences and resources to do so and drawing on the normative work of the United Nations. The EIP interacts with the United Nations, other international organisations, regional organisations, non-governmental organisations, private entities, conflict parties, and individuals. The EIP serves as a permanent operational hub for existing European governmental and non-governmental mediation and dialogue expertise. Through the support of the Belgian government, the EIP is housed in a central location in Brussels at the Tweekerkenstraat/Rue des Deux Eglises 25. The premises, which are in the same neighbourhood as the EU institutions, allow the EIP to organise seminars for practitioners, roundtables with policy makers, and host informal dialogues with parties in conflict.