2009 G20 London summit a force for good in the medium term." Leaders of the member countries began to prepare for the London Summit months before the effective date, notably with two official meetings dedicated to that preparation, one held in Berlin, Germany, on 22 February 2009 for European leaders, and another in Horsham, Sussex, United Kingdom, on 14 March 2009 for Finance Ministers. Leaders of the four European Union member countries of the G20, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy along with the two largest European non-members, Spain and the Netherlands, met in Berlin on 22 February 2009 to prepare for the
2010 G20 Seoul summit preparations representing the summit participants will have preparatory meetings to put the finishing touches on summit planning. Pre-summit events were scheduled in an orderly timeline as follows: Representatives or "sherpas" from each attending nation prepared the groundwork for discussions during the G20 summit. They met in Inchon in October to discuss the need for "civil dialogue." Plans were developed for the wives of leaders attending the conference. Michelle Obama, wife of the President of the United States, and Carla Bruni, wife of the President of France, announced in early November that they would not be able to participate. In conjunction with