Informal Meeting of EU Foreign Ministers (Gymnich)

Tánaiste hosted an informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers at Dublin Castle.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Eamon Gilmore, T.D., hosted an informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers at Dublin Castle in March 2013.

The informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers, known as the ‘Gymnich’ takes place once every 6 months, and was one of a series of informal Ministerial meetings which Ireland hosted as part of our Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The meeting was chaired by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, in line with the new arrangements following the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty. Its informal nature, makes it a useful opportunity for EU Foreign Ministers to discuss key issues on the foreign policy agenda in a relatively relaxed environment.

The meeting became known as the ‘Gymnich’, after the castle in Germany where the first meeting was held during the German Presidency of the EU Council in 1974. It takes place once every six months in the member state which holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. This is the seventh time that Ireland has hosted the Gymnich meeting.  In addition to the important discussions that take place during the working sessions, these meetings provide an opportunity to showcase Ireland to its EU partners and to bring the European Union closer to its citizens.

As well as discussing important foreign policy issues of the day, Ministers also take a strategic look at the direction of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). The venue for the working sessions - the State Apartments in Dublin Castle - was in keeping with the Government decision to maximize the use of state venues during the Irish EU Presidency.  The Tánaiste hosted an informal dinner for visiting Ministers at Farmleigh House, which was coincidentally the venue for the first ever Gymnich to be held in Ireland in 1975. 

Discussions during the Dublin Gymnich focused on the ongoing crisis in Syria and the development of the EU External Action Service (EEAS).  As this was an informal meeting, there were no Council Conclusions. The discussion was further facilitated by participation by the EU Commission and the European Parliament in the meeting. A full list of participants can be accessed here (link to list of Heads of Delegation).

At the conclusion of the meeting, the High Representative Ashton and the Tánaiste hosted a joint Press Conference. The High Representative also issued a press release.