20th Arraiolos Meeting in Estonia
Federal President Steinmeier and Elke Büdenbender traveled to Estonia from 9 to 10 October to attend the 20th meeting of the Arraiolos Group
October 15th, 2025
At the invitation of Estonian President Alar Karis, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Elke Büdenbender traveled to Estonia from 9 to 10 October.
In the capital Tallinn, they took part in the 20th Arraiolos Meeting of non-executive heads of state of the European Union. This year's exchange focused on the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence as well as on how to deal with new threats to European security. On Thursday, the Federal President also met with Estonian President Alar Karis and attended the 8th Tallinn Digital Summit. In the afternoon, they visited the Arvo Pärt Centre in Laulasmaa, which was opened in 2018 in honour of the famous Estonian composer.
The Arraiolos Group meets once a year and brings together all non-executive heads of state of the European Union. In addition to Germany, the group includes Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Malta, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary. The informal format is named after the Portuguese town of Arraiolos, where the first meeting took place in 2003.
