A Gymnich meeting is an informal meeting of the foreign ministers of the member states of the European Union, organized according to the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union since 1974 (every six months). The ministers are not accompanied by their assistants, which makes the condition easier for informal and frank exchange of views. This type of meeting received its name from the first of such events held at Schloss Gymnich in Erftstadt, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.