Today and tomorrow, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, will be in Copenhagen to take part in the Informal Meeting of EU Foreign Affairs Ministers (the so-called Gymnich) and to hold meetings with businesses.
Upon arrival this afternoon, Minister Tajani will meet with Italian companies operating in Denmark, as well as Danish companies investing in Italy, at the Residence of the Italian Ambassador. In the first quarter of 2025, bilateral trade grew by around 12%, with Italian exports to Denmark increasing significantly by 15.3%. In 2024, overall trade exceeded EUR 7 billion.
Later in the day, Tajani will attend the informal dinner of EU Foreign Ministers, also joined by representatives from the United Kingdom, Iceland, Norway, and the Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Tomorrow, 30 August, Tajani will take part in the closed-door sessions of the Informal EU Meeting under the Danish Presidency, focusing respectively on the war in Ukraine, the possible use of frozen Russian assets, and the situation in the Middle East.
On Ukraine, this constitutes the first formal discussion among the 27 EU Foreign Ministers since the summits in Alaska and Washington. Key issues on the agenda include European cohesion and transatlantic unity, European security and defence, and the need for security guarantees for Ukraine based on NATO’s Article 5.
On the Middle East, discussions will centre on humanitarian efforts in Gaza and stabilisation through a possible Arab-led mission under UN auspices. Regarding Iran, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul will provide updates on the latest meeting of the E3 (France, Germany and the United Kingdom) and the EU with their Iranian counterparts on the nuclear issue. Ministers will also discuss follow-up to the activation of the UN sanctions “snapback” mechanism, suspended in 2016 under the JCPoA.
The proceedings will also offer an opportunity for European coordination in view of the UN General Assembly High-Level Week, scheduled from 22 to 27 September.