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.