During the 2007 German EU Council Presidency the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers – the traditional "Gymnich" meeting – will take place in the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen.
It was the former Federal Foreign Minister Walter Scheel who, in 1974, established the tradition of informal gatherings when he invited his foreign minister colleagues to talks in Schloss Gymnich near Bonn. Since then there have been huge changes. The division of Europe is now history, the number of foreign ministers has grown from nine to 27, and at the final working lunch they will be joined by their colleagues from the candidate countries Croatia, Turkey and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
In Bremen, just as originally in Gymnich, the foreign ministers will be able to discuss very frankly the urgent challenges Europe faces in its relations with its neighbours and partners. In keeping with the Gymnich tradition, the topics on the agenda have been limited so as to allow plenty of time to examine issues in depth and in a relaxed atmosphere.
During the kick-off working lunch on 30 March the foreign ministers will discuss the Western Balkans, with the focus on Kosovo. The working session that afternoon will concentrate on the further development of the European Neighbourhood Policy, one of the priorities of Germany's EU Presidency. In this context they will also talk about the question of the EU's future relations with Belarus. The working session on 31 March is devoted to the Middle East peace process. During the subsequent working lunch the foreign ministers – in the presence of their colleagues from the candidate countries Turkey, Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia – will discuss relations with Iran.
Please find further information about the Informal Meeting of Foreign Affairs Ministers here.
