Originating from an ad hoc gathering of finance ministers in 1973, the G7 has since become a formal, high-profile venue for discussing and coordinating solutions to major global issues, especially in the areas of trade, security, economics, and climate change.[4] Each member's head of government or state, along with the EU's Commission President and European Council President, meet annually at the G7 Summit; other high-ranking officials of the G7 and the EU meet throughout the year. Representatives of other states and international organizations are often invited as guests, with Russia having been a formal member (as part of the G8) from 1997 until its expulsion in 2014.
The G7 is not based on a treaty and has no permanent secretariat or office. It is organized through a presidency that rotates annually among the member states, with the presiding state setting the group's priorities and hosting the summit; Italy presides for 2024.[5] While lacking a legal or institutional basis, the G7 is widely considered to wield significant international influence;[6] it has catalyzed or spearheaded several major global initiatives, including efforts to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic, provide financial aid to developing countries, and address climate change through the 2015 Paris Agreement.[6][1][7] However, the group has been criticized by observers for its allegedly outdated and limited membership, narrow global representation, and ineffectualness.[8][9][10]
History
Origins
The concept of a forum for the capitalist world's major industrialized countries emerged before the 1973 oil crisis. On 25 March 1973, the United States Secretary of the Treasury, George Shultz, convened an informal gathering of finance ministers from West Germany (Helmut Schmidt), France (Valéry Giscard d'Estaing), and the United Kingdom (Anthony Barber) before an upcoming meeting in Washington, DC. United States President Richard Nixon offered the White House as a venue, and the meeting was subsequently held in its library on the ground floor;[11] the original group of four consequently became known as the "Library Group".[12] In mid-1973, at the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, Shultz proposed the addition of Japan, which all members accepted.[11] The informal gathering of senior financial officials from the United States, United Kingdom, West Germany, Japan, and France became known as the "Group of Five".[13]
In 1974, all five members endured sudden and often troubled changes in leadership. French President Georges Pompidou abruptly died, leading to a fresh presidential election that was closely won by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. West German Chancellor Willy Brandt, American President Richard Nixon, and Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka all resigned due to scandals. In the United Kingdom, a hung election led to a minority government whose subsequent instability prompted another election the same year. Consequently, Nixon's successor, Gerald Ford, proposed a retreat the following year for the group's new leaders to learn about one another.
At the initiative of Giscard d'Estaing and his German counterpart, Helmut Schmidt, France hosted a three-day summit in November 1975, inviting the Group of Five plus Italy, forming the "Group of Six" (G6).[14] Taking place at the Château de Rambouillet, the meeting focused on several major economic issues, including the oil crisis, the collapse of the Bretton Woods system, and the ongoing global recession.[15] The result was the 15-point "Declaration of Rambouillet", which, among other positions, announced the group's united commitment to promoting free trade, multilateralism, cooperation with the developing world, and rapprochement with the Eastern Bloc.[16] The members also established plans for future gatherings to take place regularly every year.
In 1976, British Prime Minister Harold Wilson, who had participated in the first G6 summit, resigned from office; Schmidt and Ford believed the group needed an English speaker with more political experience, and advocated for inviting Pierre Trudeau, who had been Prime Minister of Canada for eight years – significantly longer than any G6 leader. Canada was also the next largest advanced economy after the G6 members.[17] The summit in Dorado, Puerto Rico later that year became the first of the current Group of Seven (G7).[15]
Until the 1985 Plaza Accord, meetings between the seven governments' finance ministers were not public knowledge. The Accord, which involved only the original Group of Five, was announced the day before it was finalized, with a communiqué issued afterward.[19] The 1980s also marked the G7's expanded concerns beyond macroeconomic issues, namely with respect to international security and conflict; for example, it sought to address the ongoing conflicts between Iran and Iraq and between the Soviet Union and Afghanistan.
Following the 1994 summit in Naples, Russian officials held separate meetings with leaders of the G7. This informal arrangement was dubbed the "Political 8" (P8), colloquially the G7+1. At the invitation of the G7 leaders, Russian President Boris Yeltsin was invited first as a guest observer, and later as a full participant. After the 1997 meeting, Russia was formally invited to the next meeting and formally joined the group in 1998, resulting in the Group of Eight (G8).[15] Russia was an outlier in the group, as it lacked the national wealth and financial weight of other members, had never been a major advanced economy, and was not yet an established liberal democracy.[20][21] Its invitation, made during a difficult transition to a post-communist economy, is believed to have been motivated by a desire to encourage its political and economic reforms and international engagement.
Russia's membership was suspended in March 2014 in response to its annexation of Crimea.[22][23][24] Members stopped short of permanently ejecting the country,[25] and in subsequent years expressed an openness or express desire to reinstate Russian participation. In January 2017, Russia announced it would permanently leave the G8, which came into effect June 2018.[26][27] In 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump, backed by Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, advocated for Russia's return; all other members rejected the proposal, and Russia expressed no interest.[28]
Renewed calls for expanded membership
There have been various proposals to expand the G7. The U.S.-based Atlantic Council has held the D-10 Strategy Forum since 2014 with representatives from what it calls "leading democracies" which support a "rules-based democratic order", consisting of all members of the G7 (including the European Union) plus Australia and South Korea. Several democratic countries – including India, Indonesia, Poland, and Spain – participate as observers.[29] Centered around a similar mandate as the G7, the D-10 has been considered by some analysts to be an alternative to the group;[30] This is also favored by various think tanks and former British leader Boris Johnson.[29]
In 2019 under Putin, Russia had signaled support for the inclusion of China, India, and Turkey if the G7 had reinstated Russian membership.[31]
In 2020 under Trump, the U.S. had signaled support for the inclusion of Australia, Brazil, India, and South Korea, plus the reincorporation of Russia.[32][33] The leaders of the other six G7 members unanimously rejected this proposal.[34]
Also in November 2020, Jared Cohen and Richard Fontaine, writing in Foreign Affairs, suggested that the G7 might be expanded to a "T-12" of "Techno Democracies". Earlier, in June of that same year, the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) was announced. Something of a spin-out of the G7, founded by members Canada and France, GPAI's initial membership was 15, including both the EU and India, as well as Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Slovenia, and the Republic of Korea.
Boris Johnson invited members of Australia and the Republic of Korea to the June 2021 G7 summit.[30] India was also invited to the 2021 summit, with an aim to "deepen the expertise and experience around the table" along with the other guests, according to a U.K. government statement.[35]
In 2021, French jurist and consultant Eric Garner de Béville, a member of the Cercle Montesquieu, proposed Spain's membership to the G7.[36] American Chargé d'Affaires in Spain, Conrad Tribble, stated that the United States "enthusiastically supports" a "greater" role of Spanish leadership at the international level.[37]
In 2022, Germany has confirmed it will be inviting India,[38] against rumours to the contrary.[39][40][needs update]
The G7 was founded primarily to facilitate shared macroeconomic initiatives in response to contemporary economic problems; the first gathering was centered around the Nixon shock, the 1970s energy crisis, and the ensuing global recession.[47] Since 1975, the group has met annually at summits organized and hosted by whichever country occupies the annually-rotating presidency;[48] since 1987, the G7 Finance Ministers have met at least semi-annually, and up to four times a year at stand-alone meetings.[49]
At the turn of the 21st century, the G7 began emphasizing engagement with the developing world. At the 1999 summit, the group helped launch the G20, a similar forum made up of the G7 and the next 13 largest economies (including the European Union), in order to "promote dialogue between major industrial and emerging market countries";[52] the G20 has been touted by some of its members as a replacement for the G7.[53] Having previously announced a plan to cancel 90% of bilateral debt for the HIPC, totaling $100 billion, in 2005 the G7 announced debt reductions of "up to 100%" to be negotiated on a "case by case" basis.[54]
Following the global financial crisis of 2007–2008, which was the worst of its kind since the 1970s,[55] the G7 met twice in Washington, D.C. in 2008 and in Rome, the following February.[56][57] News media reported that much of the world was looking to the group for leadership and solutions.[58] G7 finance ministers pledged to take "all necessary steps" to stem the crisis,[59] devising an "aggressive action plan" that included providing publicly funded capital infusions to banks in danger of failing.[60] Some analysts criticized the group for seemingly advocating that individual governments develop individual responses to the recession, rather than cohere around a united effort.[61]
In subsequent years, the G7 has faced several geopolitical challenges that have led some international analysts to question its credibility,[62] or propose its replacement by the G20.[63] On 2 March 2014, the G7 condemned the Russian Federation for its "violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine" through its military intervention.[64] The group also announced its commitment to "mobilize rapid technical assistance to support Ukraine in addressing its macroeconomic, regulatory and anti-corruption challenges", while adding that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was best suited to stabilizing the country's finances and economy.[64]
In response to Russia's subsequent annexation of Crimea, on 24 March the G7 convened an emergency meeting at the official residence of the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, the Catshuis in The Hague; this location was chosen because all G7 leaders were already present to attend the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit hosted by the Netherlands. This was the first G7 meeting neither taking place in a member state nor having the host leader participating in the meeting.[65] The upcoming G8 summit in Sochi, Russia was moved to Brussels, where the EU was the host. On 5 June 2014 the G7 condemned Moscow for its "continuing violation" of Ukraine's sovereignty and stated they were prepared to impose further sanctions on Russia.[66] This meeting was the first since Russia was suspended from the G8,[66] and subsequently it has not been involved in any G7 summit.
The G7 has continued to take a strong stance against Russia's "destabilising behaviour and malign activities" in Ukraine and elsewhere around the world, following the joint communique from the June 2021 summit in the U.K.[67] The group also called on Russia to address international cybercrime attacks launched from within its borders, and to investigate the use of chemical weapons on Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.[67] The June 2021 summit also saw the G7 commit to helping the world recover from the global COVID-19 pandemic (including plans to help vaccinate the entire world); encourage further action against climate change and biodiversity loss; and promote "shared values" of pluralism and democracy.[35]
The annual G7 summit is attended by each member's head of government.[70] The member country holding the G7 presidency is responsible for organizing and hosting the year's summit. The serial annual summits can be parsed chronologically in arguably distinct ways, including as the sequence of host countries for the summits has recurred over time and series.[71] Generally every country hosts the summit once every seven years.[72]
Besides a main meeting in June or July, a number of other meetings may take place throughout the year; in 2021 for example, seven tracks existed for finance (4–5 June 2021), environmental (20 and 21 May 2021), health (3–4 June 2021), trade (27–28 May 2021), interior (7–9 September 2021) digital and technology (28–29 April 2021), development (3–5 May 2021) and foreign ministers.[73]
South Africa was invited to the summit for the first time, and was thereafter invited annually without interruption until the 38th G8 summit in 2012. With permission from a G8 leader, other nations were invited to the summit on a periodical basis for the first time. Nigeria, Algeria, and Senegal accepted their invitations here. The World Health Organization was also invited for the first time.[75]
Leaders from Bangladesh, Mali, and El Salvador accepted their invitations here.[75] Demonstrator Carlo Giuliani was shot and killed by the Carabinieri during a violent demonstration. One of the largest and most violent anti-globalization movement protests occurred during the summit.[76] Following those events and the 11 September attacks two months later in 2001, the summits have been held at more remote locations.
The G8+5 was unofficially formed when China, India, Brazil, and Mexico were invited to this summit for the first time (the other member of the +5 was South Africa). Other first-time nations that were invited by the French president included Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and Switzerland.[75]
A record number of leaders from 12 different nations accepted their invitations here. Amongst a couple of veteran nations, the others were: Ghana, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Turkey, Yemen, and Uganda.[75] The state funeral of former President Ronald Reagan took place in Washington during the summit. Many of the G8 leaders attended this funeral, along with 20 other heads of state.
The summit was originally planned for Chicago, along with the NATO summit,[87] but on 5 March 2012 an official announcement was made that the summit would be held at the more private location of Camp David, and starting one day earlier than previously scheduled.[88] The second summit in which one of the leaders, in this case Vladimir Putin, declined to participate. The summit concentrated on the core leaders only, as no non-G8 leaders or international organizations were invited.
As in 2012, only the core members of the G8 attended this meeting. The four main topics that were discussed here were trade, government transparency, tackling tax evasion, and the ongoing Syrian crisis.[90]
This summit was originally planned to be held in Sochi, Russia, but was relocated, with Russia disinvited, due to the latter's annexation of Crimea.[91][92] Thus, the grouping reverted from G8 back to G7. (There was an emergency meeting in March 2014 in The Hague.)
The summit was focused on the global economy, as well as on key issues regarding foreign, security, and development policy.[94] The Global Apollo Programme was also on the agenda.[95]
The G7 leaders aimed to address challenges affecting the growth of the world economy, like slowdowns in emerging markets and drops in price of oil. The G7 also issued a warning to the United Kingdom that "a UK exit from the EU would reverse the trend towards greater global trade and investment, and the jobs they create and is a further serious risk to growth."[99] Commitment to an EU–Japan Free Trade Agreement.
The G7 leaders emphasized common endeavours: ending the Syrian crisis, fulfilling the UN mission in Libya, and reducing the presence of ISIS, ISIL, and Da'esh in Syria and Iraq. North Korea was urged to comply with UN resolutions, and Russian responsibility for the Ukrainian conflict was stressed. Supporting economic activity and ensuring price stability was demanded, while inequalities in trade and gender were called to be challenged. It was agreed to help countries in creating conditions that address the drivers of migration: ending hunger, increasing competitiveness, and advancing global health security.[102][103]
The summit took place at the Manoir Richelieu. Prime Minister Trudeau announced five themes for Canada's G7 presidency, which began in January 2018. Climate, along with commerce trades, was one of the main themes. "Working together on climate change, oceans and clean energy."[106] The final statement contained 28 points. US President Donald Trump did not agree to the economic section of the final statement.[107] The G7 members also announced to recall sanctions and to be ready to take further restrictive measures against Russian Federation for its failure to implement the Minsk Protocol completely.[108]
It was agreed at the summit that the World Trade Organization, "with regard to intellectual property protection, to settle disputes more swiftly and to eliminate unfair trade practices", "to simplify regulatory barriers and modernize international taxation within the framework of the OECD", "to ensure that Iran never acquires nuclear weapons and to foster peace and stability in the region", and "to support a truce in Libya that will lead to a long-term ceasefire". The summit also addressed the Russian military intervention in Ukraine and the 2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests.[110][111][112][113]
The summit was originally to be held in Camp David, Maryland, but was officially postponed on 19 March 2020 due to the concerns over the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, and was planned to be replaced by a global videoconference,[114] but in the end, no meeting was held.
Discussed with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy virtually, and the statement on support for Ukraine was issued.[120][121] Also discussed with invited guests about global food security, gender equality and "Investing in a Better Future" on climate, energy and health, and G7 Leaders' Communiqué was issued after the summit meetings.[122][123]
At the situation of the world facing multiple crises, including Russian invasion of Ukraine, climate crisis, pandemic, and geopolitical crisis, the G7 discussed to counter these crisis. The G7 affirmed to uphold "the free and open international order" based on "the rule of law", and strengthened the G7's outreach to the emerging and developing countries.[126] The long guest list reflects the attempts to woo what many call the "Global South", a term used for developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, all of whom have complex political and economic ties to both Russia and China.[127]President of UkraineVolodymyr Zelenskyy attended two sessions as guest and got a lot of attention.[128]
The G7 is composed of the seven wealthiest advanced countries. The People's Republic of China, according to its data, would be the second-largest with 17.90% of the world net wealth,[130] but is excluded because of its relatively low net wealth per adult and Human Development Index.[20] As of 2021, Crédit Suisse reports the G7 (without the European Union) represents around 53% of the global net wealth;[131] including the EU, the G7 accounts for over 60% of the global net wealth.[131]
About 7,500 protesters led by the group 'Stop-G7' demonstrated during the summit. About 300 of those reached the 3 m high and 7 km long security fence surrounding the summit location. The protesters questioned the legitimacy of the G7 to make decisions that could affect the whole world. Authorities had banned demonstrations in the area closest to the summit location and 20,000 police were on duty in Southern Bavaria to keep activists and protesters from interfering with the summit.[134][135]
The 2018 meeting in Charlevoix, Canada, was marred by fractious negotiations concerning tariffs and Donald Trump's position that Russia should be reinstated to the G7. The Trump administration had just imposed steel and aluminium tariffs on many countries, including European countries that are fellow members of the G7, and Canada, the host country for the 2018 meeting. Trump expressed dismay at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for holding a press conference in which Canada restated its position on tariffs (a public criticism of Trump's economic policy), and directed his representatives at the meeting not to sign the economic section of the joint communiqué that is typically issued at the conclusion of the meeting.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel described Trump's behaviour as a "depressing withdrawal", while French President Emmanuel Macron invited him "to be serious".[136] In the final statement signed by all members except the US, the G7 announced its intention to recall sanctions and to be ready to take further restrictive measures within the next months against the Russian Federation for its failure to completely implement the Minsk Agreement.[108]
Trump repeated calls for Russia to be re-admitted to the group at the 2019 meeting in Biarritz, saying it should be included in discussions relating to Iran, Syria, and North Korea. The Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte supported Trump's proposal, Shinzo Abe of Japan was neutral, and the rest of the G7 pushed back against the suggestion, after which the atmosphere allegedly became "tense".[citation needed]
U.S. President Donald Trump's reiteration that Russia should be readmitted to the group (see above), the instigation of a trade war with China, increased tensions in Iran, Trump's alleged reluctance to attend the conference, and a number of international crises made the 2019 G7 meeting in Biarritz, France, the most divided since its inception. Following President Trump's previous revocation of his signature to a joint communiqué agreed to in 2018 due to an alleged slight from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (see above), French President Emmanuel Macron agreed that the group would not issue a joint communiqué at the Biarritz conference.
The G7 nations pledged US$20 million to help Brazil and other countries in South America fight the wildfires. This money was welcomed, although it was widely seen as a "relatively small amount" given the scale of the problem. Macron threatened to block a major trade deal between the European Union and Brazil (Mercosur) that would benefit the agricultural interests accused of driving deforestation. Soon after, Germany and the United Kingdom criticized the threat.[137]
^The Canadian Encyclopedia – Canada and the G8G8: The Most Exclusive Club in the World, Thomas S. Axworthy, The Canadian Encyclopedia, Historica Foundation of Canada, Toronto, Undated. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
^Schaefer, Robert K (2005). "Dollar Devaluations". Understanding Globalization: The Social Consequences of Political, Economic, and Environmental Change. Rowman and Littlefield. p. 346.
^Bayne, Nicholas (1998), "International economic organizations : more policy making less autonomy", in Reinalda, Bob; Verbeek, Bertjan (eds.), Autonomous Policymaking By International Organizations (Routledge/Ecpr Studies in European Political Science, 5), Routledge, ISBN9780415164863, OCLC70763323, OL7484858M, 0415164869
^ abVan Houtven, Leo (September 2004). "Rethinking IMF Governance"(PDF). Finance & Development. International Money Fund. p. 18. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
^Walker, Tony R.; Xanthos, Dirk (2018). "A call for Canada to move toward zero plastic waste by reducing and recycling single-use plastics". Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 133: 99–100. doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2018.02.014. S2CID117378637.
^"G7 Leaders' Communiqué"(PDF). The Press and Information Office of the Federal Government, Germany. 28 June 2022. Archived from the original(PDF) on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
^ ab"Van Rompuy and Barroso to both represent EU at G20". EUobserver.com. 19 March 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2012. "The permanent president of the EU Council, former Belgian premier Herman Van Rompuy, also represents the bloc abroad in foreign policy and security matters ... in other areas, such as climate change, President Barroso will speak on behalf of the 27-member club."
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