Informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Amsterdam
On 5 and 6 February Dutch Minister of Foreign
Affairs Bert Koenders hosts a meeting attended by
the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and
Security Policy and the foreign ministers of all EU
member states. This informal meeting of the Foreign
Affairs Council, also known as ‘Gymnich’, takes at
the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam.
Joint meeting of defence and foreign ministers
The defence ministers meet with their foreign affairs
colleagues at a joint working lunch to discuss progress in the
area of EU foreign and security policy. ‘This unique setup
reflects the importance of effectively linking foreign and
security policy,’ said the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Bert Koenders.
The EU’s relations with Iran
The next issue on the agenda is the EU’s relationship with
Iran. The nuclear agreement with Iran paves the way for
renewed relations between Iran and the EU.
Discussion on crisis response
The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and
Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, chaired the informal
meeting. At the joint initiative of Mr Koenders and Ms
Mogherini, ministers took part in a crisis simulation exercise. A
fictitious scenario provided a basis for discussing various possible
responses to an acute external threat.
Migration issues
The second day of the informal Gymnich meeting will address
migration. EU ministers will join ministers from candidate
countries along the route taken by migrants through the
Western Balkans and Turkey, to discuss difficulties and ways
they could be resolved.
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