Gymnich meeting

The Schloss Gymnich in Germany, the location of the first informal meeting of EU foreign ministers

A Gymnich meeting is an informal meeting of the foreign ministers of the member states of the European Union, organized every six months according to the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union since 1974. The ministers are not accompanied by their assistants, which makes the environment easier for informal and frank exchanges of views. This type of meeting received its name from the first of such events held at Schloss Gymnich  [ de ] in Erftstadt, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, owned by the Kelly Family.

Meetings

Meeting of the European Union foreign ministers (Gymnich) in Stockholm, Sweden, May 2023

2026

• Planned: Lemesos: 27 and 28 May ^[1]

2025

• Warsaw: 7 and 8 May ^[2]
• Copenhagen: 30 August ^[3]

2024

• Brussels (Egmont Palace): 2 and 3 February ^[4]
• Brussels: 29 August ^[5]

Hungary held the Presidency in the second part of 2024, and wanted to organise a meeting in Budapest on this date. High Representative Borell decided to organise an informal meeting in Brussels as a "punishment for Hungary misusing the presidency", due to Hungarian Prime Minister Orban visiting Moscow and Bejing amid the Russian war in Ukraine. ^[6]

2023

• Stockholm: 12 and 13 May ^[7]
• Toledo: 29 and 30 August ^[8]

2022

• Prague: 30 and 31 August ^[9]
• Brest: 13 and 14 January ^[10]

2021

• Lisbon (Portugal): 4 March. ^[11]
• Kranj (Slovenia): 2 and 3 September. ^[12]

2020

• Lužnica Castle (Croatia): 5 March. ^[13]
• Berlin: 27 and 28 August ^[14]

2019

• Bucharest: 31 January–1 February ^{[15] [16]}
• Helsinki: 29–30 August ^[17]

2018

• Sofia: 15–16 February ^[18]
• Vienna: 30–31 August ^[19]

2017

• Valletta: 28 April ^[20]
• Tallinn: 7–8 September ^[21]

2016

• Amsterdam: 5–6 February ^[22]
• Bratislava: 2–3 September ^[23]

2015

• Riga: 6–7 March ^[24]
• Luxembourg: 4–5 September ^[25]

2012

• Aphrodite Hills Resort, Pafos: 7 and 8 September ^[26]

See also

• Foreign Affairs Council

References

1. "Informal meeting of Foreign Affairs Ministers – Gymnich". CYPRUS PRESIDENCY Council of the European Union.
2. "Informal meeting of foreign affairs ministers - Gymnich". Informal meeting of foreign affairs ministers - Gymnich. Retrieved 2026-01-24.
3. "Council of EU - Newsroom". newsroom.consilium.europa.eu. Retrieved 2026-01-24.
4. "Informal meeting of foreign affairs ministers - Gymnich". Consilium. 2024-01-30. Retrieved 2026-01-24.
5. "Council of EU - Newsroom". newsroom.consilium.europa.eu. Retrieved 2026-01-24.
6. "Borrell punishes Orbán's "disloyalty": no informal Defense Council in Hungary, will be held in Brussels". 2024-07-22. Retrieved 2026-01-24.
7. "Informal meeting of foreign affairs ministers – Gymnich". 12 May 2023.
8. "Informal meeting of foreign affairs ministers – Gymnich". 29 August 2023.
9. "Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union". Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
10. "French Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2022". French Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
11. "Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2021". French Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
12. "Informal meeting of EU Foreign Affairs Ministers (Gymnych) and Foreign Affairs Council". European Council.
13. Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia (5 March 2020). "Informal meeting of EU Foreign Affairs Ministers (Gymnych) and Foreign Affairs Council". Croatian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
14. Auswärtiges Amt. "Explaining the EU: What is a Gymnich meeting?". Germany's Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
15. "Updated information – The Informal meeting of the EU foreign affairs ministers (Gymnich)". January 30, 2019.
16. "Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament".
17. "INFORMAL MEETING OF MINISTERS FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (GYMNICH)". Archived from the original on 2020-08-04. Retrieved 2019-07-30.
18. "Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament".
19. "Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament".
20. "Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament".
21. "Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament".
22. "Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament".
23. "Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament".
24. "Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament".
25. "Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament".
26. "Informal Meeting of Foreign Affairs Ministers (GYMNICH)". www.cy2012.eu.

Further reading

• Patrick Roger, « La très couteuse présidence française de l'Union européenne », Le Monde, 2009-10-29
• William Wallace: "Regional Integration: The West European Experience Transaction Publishers 1994 ISBN   0815792247 p. 46
• Clifford P. Hackett: "Cautious Revolution: The European Union Arrives" ISBN   0313295271 p. 175
• Christopher Hill, Karen Elizabeth Smith: "European Foreign Policy: Key Documents" ISBN   0415158222 p. 97
• Jeremy John Richardson: "European Union: Power and Policy-making" ISBN   0415358140 p. 154