Governmental Forums, Diplomacy, G7, G20, G77

Key topics for the summit announced

The heads of state and government of the Group of Seven (G7) will be meeting at Schloss Elmau in Upper Bavaria on 7 and 8 June 2015. In addition to the global economy and foreign, security and development policy, they will be discussing the UN conferences to be held in 2015 as well as the post-2015 agenda.

Other key issues they will be addressing include

-Protection of the marine environment, marine governance and resource efficiency,
-Antibiotic resistance, neglected and poverty-related diseases, and Ebola,
-Retail and supply chain standards, and
-Empowering self-employed women and women in vocational training.

The leaders of the G7 countries will also discuss energy security, including as part of the Rome G7 Energy Initiative. In addition, they will continue the ongoing G7 process in regard to development policy.

The G7 Energy Initiative for Energy Security was launched at a meeting of the energy ministers of the G7 countries held in Rome in May 2014, at which agreement was reached on more joint measures to boost energy security. The leaders of the G7 countries then approved the principles of and measures under the Rome G7 Energy Initiative at their summit in June 2014.

A community of shared values

The G7 countries have a special responsibility when it comes to shaping our planet's future. As a community of shared values, the G7 must work towards establishing peace and security and ensuring people can live a self-determined life. Freedom and human rights, democracy and the rule of law, peace and security, prosperity and sustainable development are core principles agreed by the G7.

"The heads of state and government of the G7 do not accept the Russian Federation’s illegal annexation of Crimea. As a community of values, they have therefore decided to hold their meetings without Russia until further notice."

Foreign and security policy

The G7's commitment to pursue a common foreign and security policy is extremely important given the numerous political crises the world over. In March 2014 the G7 declared that a meaningful discussion was currently not possible with Russia in the context of the G8. Since then meetings have continued within the G7 process.

Sustainable economic growth and free trade

The G7 countries are key actors in international economic relations, and as such they carry great responsibility for creating reliable, sustainable and viable global economic conditions. Dynamic and sustainable growth in industrialised, newly industrialising and developing countries is easier to achieve if those countries are agreed on basic issues around economic development, cross-border trade and an effective, prudent financial market architecture.

That is why the G7 will continue to work towards establishing an enabling environment that is stable in the long term in order to promote dynamic, sustainable economic growth. Sound finances, open global markets and a well-functioning labour market have a key role to play in that. The G7 states will together continue to promote international trade.

Meetings of G7 Ministers

The following meetings of ministers are planned in the run-up to the summit in Schloss Elmau:

-A meeting of foreign ministers in Lübeck on 14/15 April 2015,
-A meeting of energy ministers in Hamburg on 11/12 May 2015,
-A meeting of finance ministers in Dresden from 27 to 29 May 2015, and
-A meeting of science ministers in Berlin on 8/9 October 2015.

Dialogue with African nations

The leaders of the G7 intend to support African nations in their reform efforts and thus to lay the foundations for peace and security, growth and sustainable development on the African continent. That is why they will be inviting the heads of state and government primarily of African countries to join them on the second day of the summit. Together with them they will engage in a wide-ranging dialogue on Africa and global policy issues.

Dialogue with civil society

The German Chancellor also plans to hold an inclusive dialogue with civil society in the context of Germany's G7 Presidency. As part of an outreach process Angela Merkel will meet representatives of the scientific community, business and trade unions, as well as non-governmental organisations and young people from the G7 countries.

Wednesday, 19. November 2014

German Presidency of the G7 on 7 and 8 June 2015

The Group of Seven (G7) or Group of Eight (G8) – like the G20 – is not actually an international organisation; it is an informal forum where heads of state and government meet. Once a year they come together for a summit convened by the country holding the presidency that year. At the summit they discuss key global political issues, exchange views and try to develop constructive solutions. The presidency of the Group rotates each year among the members.

In the past these summit meetings have been the launch pad for a range of G7 (or G8) development policy initiatives – for example initiatives relating to debt relief, food security, health, raw materials and partnership with Africa.

The members of what was the "Group of Eight” (G8) were until recently
Traditionally, the country currently holding the presidency organises the summit and determines the agenda. Germany assumed the presidency of the G7 early, after the G7 summit in Brussels – normally Germany would not have been due to take over the presidency until 2015. On 7 and 8 June 2015, Germany will host the meeting of the heads of state and government at Elmau Palace. Further information on the current G7 presidency can be found on the official G7 website of the Federal Government here.

Over the years a comprehensive process of close political coordination between the governments of the member countries has developed around the summit meetings. The topics for the summit and the ministerial meetings are prepared by high-ranking members of staff known as “sherpas” and “sous-sherpas”; there are also working groups that discuss certain topics.

The BMZ elaborates contributions relating to the development policy issues that the G7/G8 are currently discussing. This is done in cooperation with the Federal Chancellery, the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of Finance. The BMZ is the lead ministry for the working group on accountability. It prepares reports about how the G7/G8 has fulfilled the commitments made in earlier years. The BMZ is also responsible for the working group on food security and nutrition, and for the MENA Transition Fund of the Deauville Partnership, which was founded in order to support economic and political development in North Africa and the Middle East.

How the G7/G8 operate

Decisions within the G7 or G8 are made on the basis of consensus. Although the outcomes and commitments from the summits are not legally binding, their global impact should not be underestimated. They are implemented by means of bilateral measures carried out by the individual member countries and by means of the enormous influence that these countries have in many multilateral organisations.

The presidency engages in outreach activities, keeping close contact with various interest groups and non-G7/G8 countries. The German government, too, involves civil society very closely in the preparations for the G7/G8 and G20 summits. In the run-up to each summit, an exchange takes place with non-governmental organisations, business associations and trade unions, and with representatives of parliament and foreign embassies. The BMZ issues regular invitations to pertinent discussion forums.

The G7 countries make up 10.5 per cent of the global population and generate about 44 per cent of global gross national income. They are among the biggest contributors to the funding for international organisations and provide the finance for close to 70 per cent of all official development assistance (ODA).

The Group of Eight, or G8, comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the UK and the United States. The EU is also represented. The cancellation of the Sochi Summit resulted in Russia’s G8 presidency being suspended.

In view of the violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity perpetrated by the Russian Federation, the G7 – i.e. the G8 minus Russia – decided on 24 March 2014 not to attend the planned G8 summit to be chaired by Russia in Sochi. The G7 had already halted all preparations for the Sochi Summit on 2 March. This year’s meeting instead took the form of a G7 summit in Brussels on 4 and 5 June. Germany has held the G7 presidency since then.

The G8 is founded on shared principles and values. Russia’s exclusion will remain in place until circumstances have been established in which meaningful discussions can again be held in the G8 context.

Who are the G7/G8?

The Group of Eight, or G8, comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the UK and the United States. The EU is also represented. The members take it in turns to chair the group, rotating annually.

The Russian Federation assumed the G8 presidency in January 2014. The cancellation of the Sochi Summit resulted in Russia’s G8 presidency being suspended. Germany, which was due to take over the presidency in 2015, did so early following the G7 summit in Brussels.

G7: The Brussels Declaration (June 5, 2014)

The most visible element of summit activities is the annual summit, to which the heads of state and government are invited by the country holding the presidency usually around halfway through the year. The summits give the heads of state and government an opportunity to exchange views face to face. They also serve as a launchpad for joint initiatives. The summit under Germany’s presidency will be held at Schloss Elmau on 7 and 8 June 2015.

The G7 summit in Brussels

The most recent G7 summit took place in Brussels on 4 and 5 June 2014 (while the latest G8 summit was held at Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, on 17 and 18 June 2013). Next to current political crises, the agenda was dominated by energy security, climate change, development issues and the condition of the global economy. Germany had deliberately sought to have a broad range of focuses at the summit and successfully advocated that development and climate issues be discussed. The G7 reaffirmed the pledges made at previous summits and launched an initiative to support developing countries in concluding complex raw materials agreements (CONNEX).

Following previous stints in 1999 and 2007, Germany had actually been meant to take over the G8 presidency once again on 1 January 2015. This was brought forward, with Germany assuming the G7 presidency after the Brussels Summit.

G8 meetings at ministerial level too

The G8 foreign ministers also meet on a regular basis to discuss foreign policy issues. The Moscow meeting of G8 foreign ministers planned for late April 2014 has been cancelled due to the current political climate. On 24 March, the G7 heads of state and government tasked their energy ministers with discussing how to boost collective energy security.

The foreign ministers’ latest G8 meeting was chaired by the UK and held in London on 10 and 11 April 2013. Its main focuses were the situation in Syria, the tensions in the Korean Peninsula and the ongoing conflict surrounding the Iranian nuclear programme.

More on the G8 foreign ministers meeting in London

The G8 process is more than just a series of summit meetings. Over the years a fully‑fledged programme of political coordination has grown up around this annual event. The topics for the Summit and the ministerial meetings are prepared by high‑level staff of the heads of state and government and the ministers, known in G8 jargon as “sherpas” and “sous‑sherpas”. They meet several times a year.

The G8 themes: Africa, non‑proliferation, and the fight against terrorism and organised crime

The implementation of the G8 Africa Action Plan, drafted with considerable input from the Federal Foreign Office, is the responsibility of the Chancellor’s G8 Personal Representative for Africa, who is from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The G8 mandates groups of experts on an ad‑hoc basis to research individual topics, such as the non‑proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or the international fight against organised crime and terrorism. The recommendations produced are discussed at the G8 Summits by the heads of state and government and are included in the Summit conclusions.

Although the G8 continues to be an informal forum for coordinating policy, the decisions made by the Group have a binding effect politically and are presented to other multilateral bodies jointly by the G8.

More documentation is available from the University of Toronto’s G8 Information Centre:

external link, opens in new windowhttp://www.g8.utoronto.ca/

Last updated 31.07.2014