European Union foreign ministers should hold four informal
meetings per year instead of two, the ministers agreed at such a meeting in the
sun-drenched mediaeval French town of Avignon on Friday.
"We have decided that there will be two (informal meetings) per presidency
and per half year, and the next one will be held in Paris," French Foreign
Minister Bernard Kouchner, who chaired the talks in the French town of Avignon,
said.
The EU's ministerial meetings are chaired by each of the bloc's 27 member
states in turn, with presidencies rotating every six months.
Ever since 1974, foreign ministers have held one informal meeting per
presidency, on top of the usual half-dozen formal sessions that they hold. The
series is named "Gymnich," after the German castle where the first
one was convened.
Kouchner said that the second Gymnich of the French presidency will be held in
Paris, and hinted that it would take place before the US election on November
4.
The announcement to double the Gymnichs is likely to be welcomed by ministers,
since the meetings are, by tradition, held in a prestigious resort in the host
country, and are not expected to arrive at any formal decisions.
However, the decision could well prove to be a headache for future
presidencies, who will now have to fit an extra meeting of 27 foreign ministers
in among the dozen informal meetings, two summits and several dozen formal
ministerial sessions that they already have to hold in a six-month period, dpa reported.
