European Union (EU) foreign ministers began their half-yearly informal meeting in this southern Spanish city Friday afternoon to tackle challenges facing the bloc. At the meeting, the ministers and the high representative for EU foreign affairs and security policy, Catherine Ashton, will discuss the role of the EU in the Middle East and the prospects for peace there, and relations with the great emerging actors in the international arena, as well as with the Western Balkans. Ministers are also expected to spend part of their time discussing the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty and the EU's new common foreign and security policy instruments, in particular the European External Action Service. The two-day meeting, which for the first time will be attended by Ashton, will allow the high representative to design and implement genuine EU foreign policy strategies. 