Luxembourg/Brussels - The European Union was gearing up on Monday for a series of emergency meetings on the worldwide swine flu outbreak amidst fears of a global pandemic. EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou has asked for EU health ministers to hold crisis talks on the issue "as soon as possible," officials in her office said.

The commissioner herself is set to travel to Luxembourg on Monday to give an emergency briefing on the issue to EU foreign ministers, who are holding a scheduled meeting there, diplomats said.

But EU foreign ministers warned their citizens against panic, saying that it was too early to say how the situation could develop.

"Let's wait until the authorities, those who really know, have their evaluation of the situation. I don't think we should have undue worries until we know what's really happening," Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said. (dpa)