Gymnich meeting

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 in Erftstadt, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, owned by the Kelly Family.

Meetings

2026

Planned: Lemesos: 27 and 28 May

2025

Warsaw: 7 and 8 May
Copenhagen: 30 August

2024

Brussels (Egmont Palace): 2 and 3 February
Brussels: 29 August

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.

2023

Stockholm: 12 and 13 May
Toledo: 29 and 30 August

2022

Prague: 30 and 31 August
Brest: 13 and 14 January

2021

Lisbon (Portugal): 4 March.
Kranj (Slovenia): 2 and 3 September.

2020

LuÃÂ¾nica Castle (Croatia): 5 March.
Berlin: 27 and 28 August

2019

Bucharest: 31 JanuaryÃ¢ÂÂ1 February
Helsinki: 29Ã¢ÂÂ30 August

2018

Sofia: 15Ã¢ÂÂ16 February
Vienna: 30Ã¢ÂÂ31 August

2017

Valletta: 28 April
Tallinn: 7Ã¢ÂÂ8 September

2016

Amsterdam: 5Ã¢ÂÂ6 February
Bratislava: 2Ã¢ÂÂ3 September

2015

Riga: 6Ã¢ÂÂ7 March
Luxembourg: 4Ã¢ÂÂ5 September

2012

Aphrodite Hills Resort, Pafos: 7 and 8 September

References

William Wallace: "Regional Integration: The West European Experience Transaction Publishers 1994 p. 46
Clifford P. Hackett: "Cautious Revolution: The European Union Arrives" p. 175
Christopher Hill, Karen Elizabeth Smith: "European Foreign Policy: Key Documents" p. 97
Jeremy John Richardson: "European Union: Power and Policy-making" p. 154