G7 member countries. Big seven
"(G7, G7) is an association of seven leading economically developed countries, which includes the USA, Germany, Japan, Great Britain, France, Italy and Canada.
The decision to hold meetings of the leaders of the industrialized countries of the world was made in the early 1970s due to financial instability and the first oil crisis caused by the decision of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to impose an embargo on oil supplies to Western countries that supported Israel in Yom Kippur War (1973).
The origins of the G7 were laid by a meeting of the finance ministers of France, Germany, the United States and Great Britain, who, realizing the need to regulate economic and fiscal policies, met on March 25, 1973 in the White House library, thereby forming the so-called “library group”. In September 1973, Japan joined the Quartet. The finance ministers of the five countries met periodically until the mid-1980s.
The first meeting of the leaders of six industrialized countries - the USA, Japan, France, Great Britain, Germany and Italy - took place on November 15-17, 1975 in Rambouillet (France) on the initiative of French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.
The final declaration of the meeting in Rambouillet, along with agreed assessments of the main world trade, monetary, financial and economic problems, spoke of the priority importance of providing the economies of Western countries with “sufficient” energy resources. The main directions for overcoming the energy crisis were agreed upon: reducing imports of energy resources and their conservation; rational use of natural resources and development of alternative energy sources; ensuring more balanced conditions in the global energy market through cooperation with energy producing countries. It was noted that “the growth of the world economy is direct.”
In 1976, Canada joined the six. Since 1977, representatives of the European Union have attended G7 meetings.
Initially, the G7 dealt exclusively with monetary policy issues. At the turn of the 1970s and 1980s, the association began to deal with a wider range of issues. The leaders discussed political and military issues (terrorism, security, missile launchers in Europe, weapons and nuclear energy, the situation in Afghanistan, institutional cooperation, the future of Central and Eastern Europe, reform of the UN and the IMF), social (sustainable development, protection of human rights, support developing countries to reduce their debt), environmental issues (climate change, greenhouse gas emissions) and economic issues (international trade, debt crisis, economic assistance, macroeconomic policy coordination).
Russia first joined the G7 in 1991, when USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev was invited to a meeting of the Club of Seven. He did not directly participate in the summit, but met with the G7 leaders both individually and as a group and discussed in detail plans for Soviet economic and political reform.
In 1992, the first President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, took part in the G7 meeting in Munich. A number of bilateral and group meetings with G7 leaders formally remained outside the scope of the summit.
For the first time, Russia took part in political discussions as a full-fledged partner at the 1994 summit in Naples (Italy). In 1997, at a summit in Denver (USA), Russia joined the Group of Seven with restrictions on participation in the discussion of certain financial and other economic issues.
In 1998, in Birmingham (UK), the G7 officially became the G8 with Russia as a full member.
Under the chairmanship of Russia, the G8 summit was first held in 2006 in the St. Petersburg suburb of Strelna. The three main agenda items for the summit were energy security, health/infectious diseases and education. Other topics included: intellectual property piracy, anti-corruption, trade, terrorism, stabilization and post-conflict reconstruction, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the Middle East and Africa.
In 2014, the G8 summit, but on March 3, the White House press service issued a statement that the G7 countries had stopped preparing for the G8 summit in Sochi because of the Russian position on Crimea and Ukraine.
On June 4-5, 2014, the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Great Britain, the United States, the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission held their own summit in Brussels (Belgium) in the G7 format. The main topic of the meeting.
2015 G7 summit. In the final summary, the countries agreed on an annual allocation of $100 billion for climate protection until 2020, formulated a goal to reduce global warming by two degrees, recorded support for the fight against terrorist groups like the Islamic State * and Boko Haram, and called for the speedy creation of a national government unity in Libya, which would be an important step in the war against terrorists.
In 2016, the G7 summit was held in Japan. Following the summit, the leaders of the G7 countries adopted a joint declaration and a number of other documents, agreeing on measures to promote global economic growth and a common position on combating terrorism and corruption, as well as on solving a wide range of international problems, including in relations between Russia and Ukraine , around North Korea and Syria.
The "Seven", in particular, had a unified opinion on the need to maintain sanctions against Russia and threatened the possibility of tightening them. At the same time, she emphasized the importance of maintaining a dialogue with Moscow and its constructive efforts to resolve the crisis in Ukraine.
The leaders of the countries discussed issues related to climate change, the fight against terrorism, resolving the migration crisis, Russia, Syria, as well as assistance to African countries in the fight against epidemics and famine.
Following the meetings, the participants adopted a declaration in which, in particular, they confirmed their support for Ukraine, stating that Russia is responsible for this conflict. The leaders also expressed their readiness to tighten sanctions against Moscow if the situation requires it.
The countries also announced their intention to strengthen cooperation in the fight against IS*, in particular in Syria and Iraq. The leaders called for the punishment of those who commit crimes in the name of IS* and use chemical weapons. They also demanded that Russia and Iran exert influence on Damascus to strengthen the ceasefire.
The Big Seven (before the suspension of Russia's membership - the Big Eight) is an international club that does not have its own charter, treaty, secretariat or headquarters. Compared to the World Economic Forum, the G7 does not even have its own website or public relations department. It is not an official international organization; accordingly, its decisions are not subject to mandatory execution.
Tasks
As of early March 2014, the G8 countries include the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Russia, the United States of America, Canada and Japan. As a rule, the club's task is to record the parties' intentions to adhere to a certain agreed line. States can only recommend to other international participants to take certain decisions on pressing international issues. However, the club plays an important role in the modern world. The composition of the G8 announced above changed in March 2014 when Russia was expelled from the club. The G7 today is as significant for the world community as large organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, the WTO, and the OECD.
History of origin
In 1975, the first meeting of the G6 (Big Six) was held in Rambouillet (France) on the initiative of French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. The meeting brought together the heads of countries and governments of France, the United States of America, Great Britain, Japan, Germany and Italy. As a result of the meeting, a joint declaration on economic problems was adopted, which called for the abandonment of aggression in trade and the establishment of new barriers to discrimination. In 1976, Canada joined the club, turning the “six” into a “seven”. The club was conceived more as an enterprise with a discussion of macroeconomic problems. , but then global topics began to arise. In the eighties of the twentieth century, the agendas became more diverse than just resolving economic issues. Leaders discussed the external political situation in developed countries and in the world as a whole.
From "seven" to "eight"
In 1997, the club began to position itself as a “Big Eight”, since Russia was included in the composition. In this regard, the range of questions has expanded again. Military-political problems became important topics. G8 members have begun to propose plans to reform the club's composition. For example, ideas have been floated to replace leaders' meetings with video conferences to avoid the huge financial costs of holding summits and ensuring the safety of members. Also, the G8 states put forward the option of including more countries, for example, Australia and Singapore, to transform the club into the G20. This idea was then abandoned because with a large number of participating countries it would have been more difficult to make decisions. As the twenty-first century begins, new global themes emerge and the G8 countries address current issues. Discussion of terrorism and cybercrime comes to the fore.
United States of America and Germany
The G7 brings together significant participants in the world political arena. The United States of America uses the club to promote its strategic goals on the international stage. American leadership was especially strong during the financial crisis in the Asia-Pacific region, when the United States achieved approval of favorable action plans to resolve it.
Germany is also an important member of the G7. The Germans use their participation in this club as an influential means to assert and strengthen their country's growing role in the world. Germany is actively striving to pursue a single agreed line of the European Union. The Germans are putting forward the idea of strengthening control over the global financial system and major exchange rates.
France
France participates in the G7 club in order to ensure its position as a "country with global responsibility". In close cooperation with the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance, it plays an active role in world and European affairs. Together with Germany and Japan, France advocates the idea of centralized control over the movement of global capital to prevent currency speculation. Also, the French do not support “wild globalization,” arguing that it leads to a gap between the less developed part of the world and more developed countries. In addition, in countries that are suffering from a financial crisis, the social stratification of society is worsening. That is why, at the suggestion of France, the topic of the social consequences of globalization was included at the meeting in Cologne in 1999.
France is also concerned about the negative attitude of many Western countries towards the development of nuclear energy, since 85% of electricity is generated at nuclear power plants on its territory.
Italy and Canada
For Italy, participation in the G7 is a matter of national prestige. She is proud of her membership in the club, which allows her to more actively pursue her claims in international affairs. Italy is interested in all political issues discussed at the meetings, and also does not ignore other topics. The Italians proposed giving the G7 the character of a “permanent mechanism for consultations,” and also sought to provide for regular meetings of foreign ministers on the eve of the summit.
For Canada, the G7 is one of the important and useful institutions for ensuring and promoting its international interests. At the Birmingham summit, Canadians pushed issues relevant to their niches in world affairs, such as banning landmines, onto the agenda. The Canadians also wanted to create the image of a petitioner on issues on which the leading powers had not yet reached a consensus. Regarding the future activities of the G7, the Canadians' opinion is to rationally organize the work of the forum. They support the "presidents only" formula and holding separate meetings of foreign ministers two to three weeks before the meetings.
United Kingdom
The UK highly values its membership of the G7. The British believe that this emphasizes their country's status as a great power. Thus, the country can influence the resolution of important international issues. In 1998, while the UK chaired the meeting, it raised discussions of global economic problems and issues related to the fight against crime. The British also insisted on simplifying the summit procedure and the composition of the G7. They suggested holding meetings with a minimum number of participants and in an informal setting in order to concentrate on a more limited number of issues in order to resolve them more effectively.
Japan
Japan is not a member of the United Nations Security Council, NATO or the European Union, so participation in the G7 summits has special meaning for it. This is the only forum where Japan can influence world affairs and strengthen its position as an Asian leader.
The Japanese use the G7 to put forward their political initiatives. In Denver, they proposed to discuss on the agenda countering international terrorism, combating infectious diseases, and providing assistance for the development of African countries. Japan actively supported solutions to the problems of international crime, the environment and employment. At the same time, the Japanese Prime Minister was unable to ensure that at that time the G8 countries of the world paid attention to the need to make a decision on the Asian financial and economic crisis. After this crisis, Japan insisted on developing new “rules of the game” in order to achieve greater transparency in international finance for both global organizations and private enterprises.
The Japanese have always taken an active part in solving world problems, such as providing employment, fighting international crime, arms control and others.
Russia
In 1994, after the G7 summit in Naples, several separate meetings were held between Russian leaders and G7 leaders. Russian President Boris Yeltsin took part in them on the initiative of Bill Clinton, the head of America, and Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister. At first he was invited as a guest, and after some time - as a full participant. As a result, Russia became a member of the club in 1997.
Since that time, the G8 has significantly expanded the range of issues discussed. The Russian Federation held the presidency in 2006. At that time, the stated priorities of the Russian Federation were energy security, the fight against infectious diseases and their spread, the fight against terrorism, education, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, development of the global economy and finance, development of world trade, environmental protection .
Club goals
The G8 leaders met at summits annually, usually in the summer, on the territory of the chairman state. In June 2014, Russia was not invited to the summit in Brussels. In addition to the heads of state and government of the member countries, two representatives from the European Union participate in the meetings. Proxies of members of a particular G7 country (Sherpas) set the agenda.
The chairman of the club during the year is the leader of one of the countries in a certain order. The G8's goals in Russia's membership in the club are to solve various pressing problems that arise in the world at one time or another. Now they remain the same. All participating countries are leading in the world, so their leaders face the same economic and political problems. Common interests bring leaders together, which allows them to harmonize their discussions and conduct fruitful meetings.
Weight of the Big Seven
The G7 has its significance and value in the world because its summits allow heads of state to look at international problems through someone else's eyes. Summits identify new threats in the world - political and economic, and allow them to be prevented or eliminated through joint decision-making. All G7 members highly value participation in the club and are proud to belong to it, although they primarily pursue the interests of their countries.
The Big Seven (before the suspension of Russia's membership - the Big Eight) is an international club that does not have its own charter, treaty, secretariat or headquarters. Compared to the World Economic Forum, the G7 does not even have its own website or public relations department. It is not an official international organization; accordingly, its decisions are not subject to mandatory execution.
Tasks
As of early March 2014, the G8 countries include the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Russia, the United States of America, Canada and Japan. As a rule, the club's task is to record the parties' intentions to adhere to a certain agreed line. States can only recommend to other international participants to take certain decisions on pressing international issues. However, the club plays an important role in the modern world. The composition of the G8 announced above changed in March 2014 when Russia was expelled from the club. The G7 today is as significant for the world community as large organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, the WTO, and the OECD.
History of origin
In 1975, the first meeting of the G6 (Big Six) was held in Rambouillet (France) on the initiative of French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. The meeting brought together the heads of countries and governments of France, the United States of America, Great Britain, Japan, Germany and Italy. As a result of the meeting, a joint declaration on economic problems was adopted, which called for the abandonment of aggression in trade and the establishment of new barriers to discrimination. In 1976, Canada joined the club, turning the “six” into a “seven”. The club was conceived more as an enterprise with a discussion of macroeconomic problems. , but then global topics began to arise. In the eighties of the twentieth century, the agendas became more diverse than just resolving economic issues. Leaders discussed the external political situation in developed countries and in the world as a whole.
From "seven" to "eight"
In 1997, the club began to position itself as a “Big Eight”, since Russia was included in the composition. In this regard, the range of questions has expanded again. Military-political problems became important topics. G8 members have begun to propose plans to reform the club's composition. For example, ideas have been floated to replace leaders' meetings with video conferences to avoid the huge financial costs of holding summits and ensuring the safety of members. Also, the G8 states put forward the option of including more countries, for example, Australia and Singapore, to transform the club into the G20. This idea was then abandoned because with a large number of participating countries it would have been more difficult to make decisions. As the twenty-first century begins, new global themes emerge and the G8 countries address current issues. Discussion of terrorism and cybercrime comes to the fore.
United States of America and Germany
The G7 brings together significant participants in the world political arena. The United States of America uses the club to promote its strategic goals on the international stage. American leadership was especially strong during the financial crisis in the Asia-Pacific region, when the United States achieved approval of favorable action plans to resolve it.
Germany is also an important member of the G7. The Germans use their participation in this club as an influential means to assert and strengthen their country's growing role in the world. Germany is actively striving to pursue a single agreed line of the European Union. The Germans are putting forward the idea of strengthening control over the global financial system and major exchange rates.
France
France participates in the G7 club in order to ensure its position as a "country with global responsibility". In close cooperation with the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance, it plays an active role in world and European affairs. Together with Germany and Japan, France advocates the idea of centralized control over the movement of global capital to prevent currency speculation. Also, the French do not support “wild globalization,” arguing that it leads to a gap between the less developed part of the world and more developed countries. In addition, in countries that are suffering from a financial crisis, the social stratification of society is worsening. That is why, at the suggestion of France, the topic of the social consequences of globalization was included at the meeting in Cologne in 1999.
France is also concerned about the negative attitude of many Western countries towards the development of nuclear energy, since 85% of electricity is generated at nuclear power plants on its territory.
Italy and Canada
For Italy, participation in the G7 is a matter of national prestige. She is proud of her membership in the club, which allows her to more actively pursue her claims in international affairs. Italy is interested in all political issues discussed at the meetings, and also does not ignore other topics. The Italians proposed giving the G7 the character of a “permanent mechanism for consultations,” and also sought to provide for regular meetings of foreign ministers on the eve of the summit.
For Canada, the G7 is one of the important and useful institutions for ensuring and promoting its international interests. At the Birmingham summit, Canadians pushed issues relevant to their niches in world affairs, such as banning landmines, onto the agenda. The Canadians also wanted to create the image of a petitioner on issues on which the leading powers had not yet reached a consensus. Regarding the future activities of the G7, the Canadians' opinion is to rationally organize the work of the forum. They support the "presidents only" formula and holding separate meetings of foreign ministers two to three weeks before the meetings.
United Kingdom
The UK highly values its membership of the G7. The British believe that this emphasizes their country's status as a great power. Thus, the country can influence the resolution of important international issues. In 1998, while the UK chaired the meeting, it raised discussions of global economic problems and issues related to the fight against crime. The British also insisted on simplifying the summit procedure and the composition of the G7. They suggested holding meetings with a minimum number of participants and in an informal setting in order to concentrate on a more limited number of issues in order to resolve them more effectively.
Japan
Japan is not a member of the United Nations Security Council, NATO or the European Union, so participation in the G7 summits has special meaning for it. This is the only forum where Japan can influence world affairs and strengthen its position as an Asian leader.
The Japanese use the G7 to put forward their political initiatives. In Denver, they proposed to discuss on the agenda countering international terrorism, combating infectious diseases, and providing assistance for the development of African countries. Japan actively supported solutions to the problems of international crime, the environment and employment. At the same time, the Japanese Prime Minister was unable to ensure that at that time the G8 countries of the world paid attention to the need to make a decision on the Asian financial and economic crisis. After this crisis, Japan insisted on developing new “rules of the game” in order to achieve greater transparency in international finance for both global organizations and private enterprises.
The Japanese have always taken an active part in solving world problems, such as providing employment, fighting international crime, arms control and others.
Russia
In 1994, after the G7 summit in Naples, several separate meetings were held between Russian leaders and G7 leaders. Russian President Boris Yeltsin took part in them on the initiative of Bill Clinton, the head of America, and Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister. At first he was invited as a guest, and after some time - as a full participant. As a result, Russia became a member of the club in 1997.
Since that time, the G8 has significantly expanded the range of issues discussed. The Russian Federation held the presidency in 2006. At that time, the stated priorities of the Russian Federation were energy security, the fight against infectious diseases and their spread, the fight against terrorism, education, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, development of the global economy and finance, development of world trade, environmental protection .
Club goals
The G8 leaders met at summits annually, usually in the summer, on the territory of the chairman state. In June 2014, Russia was not invited to the summit in Brussels. In addition to the heads of state and government of the member countries, two representatives from the European Union participate in the meetings. Proxies of members of a particular G7 country (Sherpas) set the agenda.
The chairman of the club during the year is the leader of one of the countries in a certain order. The G8's goals in Russia's membership in the club are to solve various pressing problems that arise in the world at one time or another. Now they remain the same. All participating countries are leading in the world, so their leaders face the same economic and political problems. Common interests bring leaders together, which allows them to harmonize their discussions and conduct fruitful meetings.
Weight of the Big Seven
The G7 has its significance and value in the world because its summits allow heads of state to look at international problems through someone else's eyes. Summits identify new threats in the world - political and economic, and allow them to be prevented or eliminated through joint decision-making. All G7 members highly value participation in the club and are proud to belong to it, although they primarily pursue the interests of their countries.
The most famous of the informal intergovernmental organizations is the “G-7” - a group of the seven largest economies in the world: the USA, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan. In essence, this is an elite club at the level of heads of state that arose in the 70s. XX century during the collapse of the Bretton Woods monetary system. Its main goal is to avoid global imbalance in the world. In 1998, mainly for political reasons, Russia was accepted into the club. In July 2006, the G-8 summit was held for the first time in Russia in St. Petersburg. Experts note that the main result of the summit can be called the final transformation of the organization from an elite club of developed countries that made consolidated decisions on major international issues into a discussion club that shapes the global agenda. But such an agenda is impossible without the participation of China and India. They were present in St. Petersburg as guests, but they have every reason to become full members of the club of world leaders.
In addition to intergovernmental organizations, the number of non-governmental voluntary public organizations (NGOs) is growing. Thus, about 15 thousand representatives of non-governmental organizations gathered at the World Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
Such associations as Greenpeace, the Club of Rome, and the Third World Network are widely known. Despite the diversity of such organizations, their activities are usually aimed at protecting human rights, the environment, women’s rights, solving problems of developing countries, and often have an anti-globalist orientation.
In this regard, the concept of a “global public policy network” arose - a joint initiative of NGOs, business circles, national governments, and international organizations. Through these initiatives, participants develop public opinion, international norms and standards on specific controversial issues, such as the effectiveness of large dams. Globalization makes NGOs increasingly influential and implies the creation of a transnational network of NGOs that can influence formal agreements. Their main argument is the thesis that the established institutions of international governance suffer from a deep democratic deficit. The activities of these organizations are not subject to the will of the population - there is no system of direct democratic elections, and information, public control and debate are extremely limited. This means that decisions taken may serve the narrow commercial interests of certain groups of individuals or countries.
The Great Eight (G8) or Group of Eight is the forum for the governments of the world's eight largest national economies by both nominal GDP and the highest human development index; it does not include India, which is in 9th place in terms of GDP, Brazil - in seventh place and China - in second place. The forum arose from the 1975 summit, which was held in France and brought together representatives of six governments: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Great Britain, and the United States, which led to the appearance of the abbreviation “Big Six” or G6. The summit became known as the G7 or G7 the following year due to the addition of Canada.
The Group of Seven (G7) consists of 7 of the most developed and wealthy countries on Earth and remains active despite the creation of the Group of Eight or G8 in 1998. In 1998, Russia was added to the group of most developed countries, which then became known as the Big Eight (G8). The European Union is represented in the G8, but cannot host or chair summits.
The term "Great Eight" (G8) may refer to the member states collectively or to the annual summit of heads of government of the G8. The first term, G6, is now often applied to the six most populous countries within the European Union. G8 ministers also meet throughout the year, for example G7/G8 finance ministers meet four times a year, and G8 foreign ministers or G8 environment ministers also meet.
Collectively, the G8 countries produce 50.1% of global nominal GDP (2012 data) and 40.9% of global GDP (PPP). Each calendar year, responsibility for organizing the G8 summit and chairmanship is transferred among member states in the following order: France, USA, UK, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada. The country chair sets the agenda, hosts the current year's summit, and determines which ministerial meetings will take place. Recently, France and the UK have expressed a desire to expand the group to include five developing countries, referred to as the Outreach Five (O5) or plus five: Brazil (the 7th country in the world by nominal GDP), the People's Republic of China or China (2nd country in the world by GDP), India (9th country in the world by GDP), Mexico and South Africa (SA). These countries have attended as guests at previous summits, sometimes called the G8+5.
With the emergence of the G20, a group of twenty of the world's largest economies, in 2008 at a summit in Washington, G8 leaders announced that at their next summit on September 25, 2009 in Pittsburgh, the G20 would replace the G8 as the main economic council of the wealthy countries
One of the main areas of activity in the G8 on a global scale since 2009 has been global food supplies. At the L'Aquila summit in 2009, G8 members pledged to contribute $20 billion in food aid to poor countries over three years. However, since then only 22% of the promised funds have been allocated. At the 2012 summit, US President Barack Obama asked G8 leaders to adopt policies that would privatize global investment in food production and supply.
History of the Big Eight (G8)
The concept of a forum for the world's leading industrialized democracies emerged before the 1973 oil crisis. On Sunday 25 March 1973, Treasury Secretary George Shultz convened an informal meeting of the finance ministers from West Germany (West Germany Helmut Schmidt), France Valéry Giscard d'Estaing) and Great Britain (Anthony Barber) ahead of the upcoming meeting in Washington.
When launching former President Nixon's idea, he noted that it would be better to do it out of town and suggested using the White House; the meeting was subsequently held in the library on the first floor. Taking their name from the area, this original group of four became known as the "Library Group". In mid-1973, at meetings of the World Bank and IMF, Shultz proposed adding Japan to the original four nations, and everyone agreed. An informal gathering of senior financial officials from the US, UK, West Germany, Japan and France became known as "The Five".
The year following the formation of the Five was one of the most turbulent of the post-World War II era, and heads of state and government in a dozen industrialized countries lost their positions due to illness or scandal. Elections were held twice in the UK, three German Chancellors, three French Presidents, three Japanese and Italian Prime Ministers, two US Presidents and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau were replaced. Of the members of the “five,” all were new to further work, with the exception of Prime Minister Trudeau.
When 1975 began, Schmidt and Giscard were now heads of state in West Germany and France respectively, and since they both spoke fluent English, they, British Prime Minister Harold Wilson and US President Gerald Ford could meet in an informal retreat and discuss the election results. In the late spring of 1975, President Giscard invited the heads of government of West Germany, Italy, Japan, Great Britain and the United States to a summit at the Château de Rambouillet; an annual meeting of six leaders was organized under his chairmanship, and the Group of Six (G6) was formed. The following year, with Wilson as British Prime Minister, Schmidt and Ford, it was felt that a native English speaker with more experience was needed, so Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau was invited to join the group, and the group became known as the G7. (G7). The European Union was represented by the President of the European Commission and the leader of the country that holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union. The President of the European Commission has attended every meeting since he was first invited by the UK in 1977 and the President of the Council now also regularly attends meetings.
After the 1994 G7 summit in Naples, Russian officials held separate meetings with G7 leaders after the group's summit meetings. This informal arrangement was called the "Political Eight" (P8) - or, colloquially, the G7+1. At the invitation of British Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President Bill Clinton, President Boris Yeltsin was invited first as a guest and observer, and then as a full participant. The invitation was seen as a way to reward Yeltsin for his capitalist reforms. Russia officially joined the group in 1998, creating the Group of Eight, or G8.
Structure and activities of the Big Eight (G8)
According to the draft, the G8 deliberately does not have an administrative structure like international organizations such as the UN or the World Bank. The group does not have a permanent secretariat or offices for its members.
The chairmanship of the group rotates annually among member countries, with each new chairman taking office on 1 January. The Presidency is responsible for planning and holds a series of ministerial meetings leading to a mid-year summit with heads of government. The President of the European Commission participates on equal terms in all events at the highest level.
Ministerial Meetings bring together ministers responsible for various portfolios to discuss issues of mutual interest or concern on a global scale. Issues discussed include healthcare, law enforcement, labor market prospects, economic and social development, energy, environmental protection, foreign affairs, justice and home affairs, terrorism and trade. There is also a separate set of meetings known as the G8+5, created at the 2005 summit at Gleneagles in Scotland, which brings together finance ministers and energy ministers from all eight member countries in addition to the five countries that are also known as the P5 - Brazil, People's Republic of China, India, Mexico and South Africa.
In June 2005, the justice and home affairs ministers of the G8 countries agreed to create an international database of pedophiles. G8 officials also agreed to merge terrorism databases, subject to privacy restrictions and security laws in individual countries.
Characteristics of G8 countries (as of 2014)
Countries | Population, million people | Size of real GDP, billion US dollars | GDP per capita, thousand US dollars | Inflation, % | Unemployment rate, % | Trade balance, billion US dollars |
Great Britain | 63.7 | 2848.0 | 44.7 | 1.5 | 6.2 | -199.6 |
Germany | 81.0 | 3820.0 | 47.2 | 0.8 | 5.0 | 304.0 |
Global Energy and the Big Eight (G8)At Heiligendamm in 2007, the G8 accepted the EU proposal as a worldwide initiative for energy efficiency. They agreed to study, together with the International Energy Agency, the most effective means to improve energy efficiency at the international level. A year later, on June 8, 2008, in Aomori, Japan, at a meeting of energy ministers organized by the then Japanese Presidency, the G8 countries, along with China, India, South Korea and the European Community, created the International Partnership for Cooperation on Energy Efficiency. The G8 Finance Ministers, in preparation for the 34th G8 Heads of State and Government Meeting in Toyako, Hokkaido, met on 13 and 14 June 2008 in Osaka, Japan. They agreed on the G8 Climate Action Plan to enhance the participation of private and public financial institutions. Finally, ministers supported the formation of the World Bank's new Climate Investment Fund (CIFS), which will assist existing efforts until the new UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) framework is fully implemented after 2012. |