"Group of Eight" (G8, "Big Eight"): history of creation and tasks. big eight
Group of Eight, G8) - a group of seven most industrialized countries in the world and Russia. The unofficial forum of the leaders of these countries (Russia, USA, Great Britain, France, Japan, Germany, Canada, Italy) with the participation of the European Commission is also called, within the framework of which approaches to pressing international problems are being coordinated. The G8 member countries account for 49% of world exports, 51% industrial production, 49% of the IMF's assets.
The Western world as a set of the most economically developed states of the world is a well-structured political community. The instruments for integrating these countries into a single geopolitical space are numerous supranational organizations- NATO military-political bloc, European Union and its executive and representative bodies, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, etc. These structures differ in the number of participating countries, in the tasks they solve, in the degree of influence on the policies of their member states, etc.
But high degree The integration achieved in the Western world does not negate the fact that serious contradictions between the leading powers of the world continue to persist, and sometimes even deepen. Within the framework of existing supranational institutions (including the UN, since the West positions itself as international community) resolving these contradictions is problematic, and sometimes impossible. After all, often even the long-term closest allies - the United States and Great Britain, demonstrate different approaches to a particular problem. (For example, when America decided to increase its military contingent in Iraq, Great Britain immediately announced a reduction in its presence in that country and a phased withdrawal of troops).
There was a need for a supranational structure of a different kind, fundamentally different from existing international institutions. This is how the G8 (G8) was born.
The first summit of the heads of the leading capitalist states of the world was held in 1975. The initiator of the meeting was French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. In addition to him, the leaders of the USA, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Japan participated in it. In 1976, the "Big Six" became the "Seven" by admitting Canada into its membership.
The need for closer coordination among the countries of the Western community in the face of serious global problems(the large-scale energy crisis provoked by the Arab-Israeli war of 1973, the development of a coordinated position in connection with the process of detente of international tension that began after the signing of the Soviet-American SALT-1 treaty, the Soviet-West German agreements of the early 1970s) required a more mobile and prompt reaction than the framework of existing supranational institutions allowed.
Thus, Japan was not a member of NATO and was not part of Common Market, Great Britain joined the latter only two years earlier, France has not been a member of NATO since 1966, etc. Therefore, informal meetings of the leaders of the leading Western states, at which the most burning problems are fairly frankly discussed in a narrow circle, have become traditional and are held every year since that time.
The G8 is not international organization, it is not based on an international treaty, has no charter and no secretariat. The decisions of the G8 are in the nature of political obligations of the participating states. Usually, we are talking on fixing the intention of the parties to adhere to the agreed line or on recommendations to other participants international life apply certain approaches to solving certain issues.
The working cycle of the G8 is focused primarily on the preparation and holding of annual summits. All preparatory work is led and coordinated by Sherpas (trusted representatives of the leaders of the G8 countries), who usually meet four times a year. The Russian Sherpa in the G8 is Aide to the President of the Russian Federation Arkady Dvorkovich (since May 19, 2008).
The chairman of the G8 is one of the member countries during each calendar year.
Within the framework of the G8, working, expert and task groups are also organized in certain areas. On average, the G8 organizes 60 to 80 events a year.
The G8 is often accused of being elitist, undemocratic, hegemonistic, etc. Since 2002, anti-globalization counter-summits have been held in parallel with the G8 summit.
The history of relations between our country and the G7 dates back to 1991, when the working meeting President of the USSR M. Gorbachev with the leaders of the "Seven". In a similar format, the leaders of the G7 countries met with President B. Yeltsin at the summits in Munich (1992) and Tokyo (1993). All this time, Russia had the status of a guest, an associate member according to the 7+1 formula.
Russia's cooperation with partners rose to a qualitatively new level at the Denver summit in June 1997, which from beginning to end was held as a meeting of equal partners in the G8. Obviously, Russia's obtaining a new, higher status in the now G8 is due to political and opportunistic considerations. Becoming a de jure member of the Western community, Russia assumed joint obligations and had to build its foreign and domestic policy in accordance with the guidelines of the leading world powers.
The situation changed radically in the early years of the 21st century. With the coming to power of the new leadership, Russia has significantly strengthened economically, politically and militarily, began to firmly and consistently defend its national interest. And under these conditions, the participation of our country in the work of the G8 has become much more productive, the authority of the Russian Federation has noticeably grown.
To a certain extent, Russia assumed inflated, in comparison with other countries, obligations. Thus, according to the results of the 2005 summit in Gleneagles, Russia (not the most prosperous member of the G8) wrote off debts of a number of African countries in a greater volume than all the other members of the G8, excluding Japan and France.
A weighty confirmation of the strengthening of Russia's position in the G8, the transfer of its relations with partners to a qualitatively new level was the decision of the summit in Kananaskis (Canada, June 2002) to transfer to our country in 2006 the functions of the chairman of the G8. This step was an expression of the partners' recognition of Russia's growing role in the modern world.
Russia's accession to the G8 presidency was accompanied by a stream of political speculation about Russia's "imperial ambitions", "clamping on the free press", and "the threat of energy blackmail". US senators J. McCain and J. Lieberman demanded that the heads of the G7 states speak out about the fact that Russia's actions do not comply with the democratic norms of the G8, and even suggested that Bush not go to the summit if Putin "does not correct his behavior ".
The essence of the West's claims to Russia on June 28, 2006 was formulated by V. Surkov at a briefing for foreign journalists: "They talk about democracy to us, but they think about our hydrocarbon raw materials." “Those who want the expulsion of Russia from the G8 misunderstand the purpose of this organization,” the influential British publication The Guardian noted in those days. - It was not created during the Cold War to spread democracy. It was a group of states concerned about low growth, inflation and trade disputes…”.
The summit under the chairmanship of Russia was held in July 2006 in St. Petersburg. As one would expect, the Western states prudently did not touch upon the topics of freedom of speech and civil rights. There were three topics on the agenda of the meeting of the G8 leaders. The first and main one is the problem of energy security. The second group of issues is education, and the third is related to health care and prevention of the spread of infectious diseases, including bird flu and AIDS. In 2009, the G8 presidency passed to Italy. The issue of expanding the G8 with India, China and Brazil is periodically raised, which would be beneficial for Russia, which would acquire allies in the G8 that have a number of common interests with our country.
The expanded format of the G8 is the so-called. The G20, which unites the most economically powerful countries on the planet (Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Great Britain, Germany, Canada, China, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia , South Africa, Turkey, USA and EU).
The G8 members are striving to keep the G8 status as a "closed elite club”, believing that the expansion of its format will complicate finding a consensus on global issues that are submitted for discussion. Nevertheless, since 2005 the leaders of Brazil, China, Mexico and South Africa have been invited to the G8 summits as observers. The global financial crisis made the G8 leaders realize that there are more and more countries on which the fate of the planet today depends. On November 15, 2008, the G-20 summit was held in Washington, dedicated to developing measures to overcome the consequences of the global financial crisis. It approved the principles for strengthening financial markets: strengthening transparency and accountability; strengthening sound regulation; support for honesty in financial markets; strengthening international cooperation; strengthening international financial institutions.
On April 2–3, 2009, at the G20 summit in London, the leaders of the 20 largest economies in the world agreed on the need to introduce new economic stimulus, reform the global financial system, in particular, more stringent regulation of hedge funds globally and the imposition of sanctions on against offshore companies that refuse to join the fight against money laundering and tax evasion. The leaders of the G20 countries agreed to additionally invest in the economy from state budgets a total of $5 trillion. The next G-20 summit will be held in New York in September 2009.
Great Definition
Incomplete definition ↓
big eight
Group of eight, G8
an international club that unites the governments of the leading democratic states of the world. It is sometimes associated with the "board of directors" of the leading democratic economies. Domestic diplomat V. Lukov defines it as "one of the key informal mechanisms for coordinating the financial, economic and political course" of the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, Canada, Russia and the European Union. The role of the G8 in world politics is determined by the economic and military potential of its member states. The G8 does not have its own charter, headquarters and secretariat. Unlike the informal but broader World Economic Forum, it does not have a public relations department or even a website. However, the G8 is one of the most important international actors in the world today. It is on a par with such "classical" international organizations as the IMF, WTO, OECD. The value of the G8 lies in the fact that in the modern world the heads of state are so busy that they do not have the opportunity to go beyond communicating with a narrow circle of close associates and considering the most pressing, current problems. The G8 summits free them from this routine and allow them to take a broader look at international issues, Giving real opportunity to improve understanding and coordination of actions. In the words of Joe Clark, "they free multilateral negotiations from their inherent red tape and mistrust." According to the authoritative opinion research group The Atlantic Council, the G8 summits are less and less striking the world with global initiatives and are increasingly turning into a forum for identifying new threats and problems with a view to their subsequent solution within the framework of other international organizations.
Big Eight (G8): History of emergence and mechanism of functioning
The G8 owes its appearance to a series of major international events that led to crises in the world economy in the early 1970s.
1) The collapse of the Bretton Woods financial system and unsuccessful attempts by the IMF and IBRD to reform the world monetary system;
2) the first enlargement of the EU in 1972 and its consequences for the economy of the West;
3) the first international oil crisis in October 1973, which led to serious disagreements between Western countries regarding a common position with the OPEC countries;
4) the economic recession that began in 1974 as a consequence of the oil crisis in the OECD countries, accompanied by inflation and rising unemployment.
Under these conditions, a need arose for a new mechanism for coordinating the interests of the leading Western countries. Since 1973, the finance ministers of the United States, Germany, Great Britain and France, and later of Japan, began to meet periodically in an informal setting to discuss problems of the international financial system. In 1975, French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt (both former finance ministers) invited the heads of other leading Western states to gather in a narrow informal circle for face-to-face communication. The first summit was held in 1975 in Rambouillet with the participation of the USA, Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan. In 1976, Canada joined the club, and since 1977, the European Union as a spokesman for the interests of all its member countries.
There are several approaches to periodization of the G8 history.
According to the topics of meetings and activities, there are 4 stages in the development of the G7/G8:
1. 1975–1980 - very ambitious development plans economic policy member countries;
2. 1981-1988 - increased attention to non-economic issues of foreign policy;
3. 1989-1994 - the first steps after the Cold War: the restructuring of the countries of Central and of Eastern Europe, USSR (Russia), in addition, traditional problems development of trade and debt. New topics such as the environment, drugs, money laundering are emerging;
4. After the summit in Halifax (1995) - modern stage development. The formation of the "Big Eight" (inclusion of the Russian Federation). Reforming international institutions (“new world order”).
From the point of view of institutional development, experts distinguish 4 cycles:
1) 1975-1981 - annual meetings of leaders of states and accompanying ministers of finance and foreign affairs.
2) 1982-1988 - the G7 is overgrown with autonomous summits at the ministerial level: trade, foreign affairs, finance.
3) 1989-1995 - the birth in 1991 of the annual "post-summit" meeting of the "group of seven" with the USSR / RF, an increase in the number of departments holding their meetings at the ministerial level (for example, environment, security, etc.);
4) 1995 - present Attempts to reform the scheme of G8 meetings by simplifying the agenda and principles of its work.
At the beginning of the 21st century "eight" is annual summits heads of state and meetings of ministers or officials, both regular and ad hoc - "on the occasion", the materials of which sometimes get into the press, and sometimes are not published.
The so-called "Sherpas" play a key role in holding the summits. Sherpas in the Himalayas are called local guides who help climbers climb to the top. Considering that the very word “summit” in English means a high mountain peak, it turns out that “sherpa” in diplomatic language is the main coordinator helping his president or minister to understand all the problems discussed at the summit.
They also prepare draft versions and agree on the final text of the communiqué, the main document of the summit. It may contain direct recommendations, appeals to member countries, setting tasks to be solved within the framework of other international organizations, a decision to establish a new international body. The communiqué is read out by the President of the country hosting the G8 summit in compliance with the corresponding solemn ceremony.
G8 (G8): reform proposals.
The question of the need for changes in the functioning of the G8 was first raised by British Prime Minister John Major in 1995. One of the steps towards the wind of change was the expansion of this club by admitting Russia in 1998. In order to get away from the excessive officialdom that became to accompany every meeting of the G8, and as a response to the criticism of other participants in international relations, various members of the G8 began to put forward plans to reform the format and composition of the club.
Thus, in Paris, ideas were put forward to replace the meetings of leaders with another form of communication, such as videoconferencing, which would avoid the unhealthy hype and huge security costs during the summits. Canadian diplomats put forward plans to transform the G8 into the G20, which would include Australia, Singapore and a number of other new active players in the world economy.
But the more participants, the more difficult it becomes to make consistent decisions. In this regard, a number of experts even spoke in favor of delegating all representative functions from European member countries(England, France, Italy) to the European Union as a single spokesman for their interests, which would help open up new seats at the round table.
In 1997 Tony Blair did what John Major had voiced. He used the Birmingham summit to work out a new model for meetings of G8 leaders. It was the first summit where the leaders met in private, at the premier's country residence, without the long entourage of their ministers, allowing for a more relaxed and informal dialogue. It was characterized by a simplified preparation, a simpler agenda, shorter and more understandable final documents. This meeting format was later used in Colon (1999) and Okinawa (2000).
At the same time, the list of topics discussed is also being updated - new challenges of the 21st century make the G8 talk about cybercrime, terrorism, and the problem of renewable energy sources.
G8: Russia in the G8
The question of whether the G8 was a full-fledged G8 when the G7 plus one became the G8 is the question of what role Russia has played and is playing in this organization is still a matter of great controversy. Its membership in the G8 was initially perceived with great reservations and criticism, both abroad and in Russia itself. However, at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. in Russia and abroad, a more serious interest in this topic has appeared, a more respectful and informed attitude on the part of public opinion and media.
Since 1991, Russia has been invited to participate in the work of the G7. Since 1994, this has been happening in the 7+1 format. In April 1996, a special G-7 summit on nuclear security was held in Moscow with the full participation of Russia. And in the spring of 1998, a ministerial meeting of the "Seven" on the problems of world energy was held in Moscow. In 1998 in Birmingham (England), the G7 officially became the G8, giving Russia the formal right to full participation in this club of great powers. In the fall of 1999, at the initiative of Russia, a G8 ministerial conference was held in Moscow to combat transnational organized crime.
In 2002, at a summit in Kananaskis (Canada), the G8 leaders stated that "Russia has demonstrated its potential as a full-fledged and important participant in solving global problems." In general, in the 1990s, the participation of the Russian Federation was reduced to finding new loans, restructuring external debt, combating discrimination against Russian goods, recognizing Russia as a country with market economy, the desire to join the Paris Club of creditors, the WTO and the OECD, as well as nuclear safety issues. By the beginning of the 21st century the country recovered from the 1998 crisis and the role of the Russian Federation changed. At the summit in Okinawa (Japan, 2000), Russia no longer raised the issue of loans and debt restructuring. In 2001, at a meeting in Genoa, the Russian Federation for the first time acted as a donor for some of the G8 programs. In the spring of 2003 alone, the Russian Federation allocated $10 million to the trust fund of the Cologne Initiative of the Paris Club of Creditors and provided $11 million to the World Food Programme. Prior to this, the Russian side decided to allocate $20 million to the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. In terms of participation in the program of writing off the debts of the world's poorest countries, Russia is the leader of the G8 in terms of such indicators as the share of reduced debts in GDP and their ratio to per capita income. Russia is scheduled to chair the G8 summit in 2006.
The Big Seven (before the suspension of Russia's membership - the Big Eight) is an international club that does not have its own charter, agreement, secretariat and headquarters. Compared to the World Economic Forum, the G7 does not even have its own website and 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 UK, France, Italy, Germany, Russia, the United States of America, Canada and Japan. As a rule, the task of the club is to record the intentions of the parties to adhere to a certain agreed line. States can only recommend other international participants to take certain decisions of urgent international affairs. However, the club plays 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 is as important to the global community today as it is large organizations type International Monetary Fund, WTO, OECD.
History of occurrence
In 1975, in Rambouillet (France), the first meeting of the G6 ("Big Six") was held at the initiative of French President Valerie 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. At the end 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 the "seven."The club was conceived more as an enterprise with a discussion of macroeconomic problems , but then began to rise global themes. In the 1980s, agendas became more diverse than simply deciding economic issues. The 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 the "Big Eight", since Russia was included in the composition. As a result, the range of questions has expanded again. Military-political problems became important topics. Members of the "Big Eight" began to propose plans to reform the composition of the club. For example, ideas have been put forward to replace leader meetings with videoconferencing to avoid huge financial costs to hold summits and ensure the security of members. Also, the states of the G8 put forward the option of including more countries, for example, Australia and Singapore, in order to transform the club into the G20. Then this idea was abandoned, since with a large number of participating countries it would be more difficult to make decisions. At the start of the twenty-first century, new global themes are emerging and the G8 countries are addressing current issues. The discussion of terrorism and cybercrime comes to the fore.
United States of America and Germany
The "Big Seven" brings together significant participants in the world political arena. The United States of America uses the club to advance its strategic goals in the international arena. American leadership was especially strong during the financial crisis in the Asia-Pacific region, when the United States secured the approval of profitable schemes of action 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 establish and strengthen the growing role of their country in the world. Germany is actively seeking to pursue a single agreed line of the European Union. The Germans put forward the idea of strengthening control over the global financial system and the main exchange rates.
France
France participates in the G7 club in order to secure 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 world 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 the more developed countries. In addition, in countries that are suffering from the financial crisis, the social stratification of society is aggravated. That is why, at the suggestion of France in 1999 in Cologne, the topic of the social consequences of globalization was included in the meeting.
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 in 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 implement her claims in international affairs. Italy is interested in all the political issues discussed at the meetings, and also does not leave other topics without attention. The Italians proposed giving the G-7 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 most important and useful institutions for securing and promoting its international interests. At the Birmingham summit, Canadians pushed issues related to their niches in world affairs, such as the ban anti-personnel mines. Canadians also wanted to create the image of a petitioner on those issues on which the leading powers have not yet reached a consensus. Regarding the future activities of the G7, the opinion of the Canadians 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.
Great Britain
The UK highly values its membership in the G7. The British believe that this emphasizes the status of their country as a great power. Thus, the country can influence the solution of important international issues. In 1998, while the UK chaired the meeting, she raised the discussion of global economic problems and issues related to the fight against crime. The British also insisted on simplifying the procedure for the summit and the membership of the G7. They suggested holding meetings with the minimum number participants and in an informal setting in order to focus on a more limited number of issues in order to deal more effectively with them.
Japan
Japan is not a member of the United Nations Security Council, is not a member of NATO or the European Union, so participation in the G7 summits has a 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 "seven" in order to put forward their political initiatives. In Denver, they proposed to discuss on the agenda the counteraction to international terrorism, the fight against infectious diseases, and the provision of assistance for the development of African countries. Japan actively supported the decisions on the problems of international crime, ecology and employment. At the same time, the Japanese Prime Minister was unable to ensure that at that time the "Big Eight" of the 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, there were several separate meetings between Russian leaders and G7 leaders. Russian President Boris Yeltsin took part in them at the initiative of Bill Clinton, the head of America, and Tony Blair, the Prime Minister of Great Britain. At first he was invited as a guest, and after a while - as a full member. As a result, Russia became a member of the club in 1997.
Since then, the G8 has significantly expanded the range of issues discussed. The country-chairman of the Russian Federation was in 2006. Then the declared priorities Russian Federation were energy security, the fight against infectious diseases and their spread, the fight against terrorism, education, non-proliferation of weapons mass destruction, the development of the world economy and finance, the development of world trade, environmental protection.
Club goals
The leaders of the G8 met at summits every year, usually in the summer, on the territory of the presiding state. In June 2014, Russia was not invited to the Brussels summit. In addition to the Heads of State and Government of the Member States, two representatives from the European Union participate in the meetings. The proxies of the members of this or that G7 country (Sherpas) form the agenda.
The chairman of the club during the year is the head of one of the countries in a certain order. The goals of the "Big Eight" in membership in the club of Russia are the solution of various actual problems emerging in the world at any given moment. Now they have remained the same. All participating countries are leading in the world, so their leaders face the same economic and political issues. The commonality of interests brings leaders together, which makes it possible to harmonize their discussions and conduct fruitful meetings.
Weight of the Big Seven
The "Big Seven" has its own significance and value in the world, since its summits allow the 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 the adoption of joint decisions. All members of the G7 highly value participation in the club and are proud of belonging to it, although they primarily pursue the interests of their countries.
Articles are periodically published in the press about meetings and decisions taken by the G8. But everyone knows what is hidden under this phrase and what role this club plays in how and why the G8 was formed, who is in it and what is discussed at the summits - this will be discussed in this article.
History
Early 70s world economy faced a structural economic crisis and, at the same time, relations between Western Europe, USA and Japan. To resolve economic and financial issues, it was proposed to hold meetings of leaders of the most industrially developed countries. This idea arose at a meeting of the first persons of the governments and states of Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, the USA and Japan, which took place from November 15 to 17, 1975 in Rambouillet (France).
The initiator of this meeting was the French President Giscard d'Estaing, and what meetings were decided to be held annually from now on. In 1976 it informal association accepted Canada into its ranks and turned from the "six" into the "seven". And 15 years later, Russia entered and the now known “Big Eight” turned out. This term in Russian journalism appeared as a result of incorrect interpretation of the abbreviation G7 by journalists: in fact, it did not mean "Great Seven" ("Big Seven"), "Group of Seven" ("Group of Seven"). Nevertheless, the name has taken root and no one calls this club differently.
Status
The G8 is a kind of informal forum of the leaders of these countries, which takes place with the participation of the commission. It is not an international organization and does not have a charter or secretariat. Its creation, functions or powers are not fixed in any international treaty. It is rather a discussion platform, pool or club in which consensus is reached on the most important issues. The decisions taken by the G8 are not binding - as a rule, they are only a fixation of the participants' intentions to adhere to a developed and agreed line, or they are recommendations to other participants in the political arena. As for the issues discussed, they mainly relate to health, employment, law enforcement, social and economic development, environment, energy, international relations, trade and counter-terrorism.
How and with what frequency do the meetings take place?
The G8 Summit is traditionally held annually. As a rule, this happens in the summer. In addition to the official leaders of countries and heads of government, the President of the European Commission and the head of the country that currently holds the EU presidency also take part in these meetings. The venue of the next summit is planned in one of the participating countries. The G8 of 2012 met at Camp David (USA, Maryland), and this year, 2013, the meeting is scheduled for June 17-18 at the Loch Erne golf resort, located in In exceptional cases, instead of the G8, the G20 gathers : the meeting is held with the participation of Spain, Brazil, India, South Africa, South Korea and a number of other countries.
Initially, this association included six countries with the largest economies at the time of 1975: the USA, England, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. A year later, this peculiar international club was replenished with Canada and turned into the "Big Seven" (G7). main goal of this union was the joint overcoming of the economic crisis of the early 70s, and the participating countries immediately adopted a Declaration excluding the conduct of an aggressive trade policy that could harm partners. It is obvious that in this "club" there would be a place for Russia, but she got into it only in 2002, moreover, most of the permanent participants spoke in favor of the somewhat strange "7 + 1" format. In any case, experts from all over the world now refer to this alliance as the "Big Eight" or G8.
G8 summits
If in the first years of the formation of this elite club the problems of the world economy were on the agenda, today at the annual meetings, which are called the G8 summits, a variety of issues are discussed:
- ecology
- humanitarian aid
- social problems
- child health
- military conflicts
- crime
- problems of freedom of speech and many others.
Each new summit is hosted by one of the member countries of the union, and its topic is announced in advance. So, in 2006, the leaders of the G8 met in St. Petersburg, where they discussed education, demography, energy security, the fight against terrorism, as well as the difficult situation that prevailed at that time in the Middle East.
It is impossible not to note the fact that each new meeting of the G8 causes more and more criticism from the other states, who are forced to remain only outside observers at the moments when truly global issues are being resolved. Today you can often hear accusations against this unofficial union of hegemonism and even undemocratic. The latest summits took place against the backdrop of large-scale anti-globalization rallies, which call on the world to discuss more humane, in their opinion, world development programs.
G8: goals and objectives of today
Since the composition big eight represented by the largest economies of the world, the participating countries are interested in accelerating integration processes and coordinating financial and economic ties. Along with the conduct of a common and coordinated anti-crisis policy, these are the main goals of the G8 at the present time, which is confirmed by the topics of recent summits. At the same time, among the tasks of an elite club, there is always a solution to pressing political issues, and it should be noted that on the sidelines they are most often given a unanimous assessment. As a result, in any
situations, the leaders of the G8 act as a united front, which further strengthens the impact of their decisions on the world order.
Will the elite club become the "seven" again?
The Crimean crisis, which began in March of this year, actually suspended the membership of the Russian Federation in this association: the June summit was held in the G7 format, and proposals were made to permanently exclude Russia from the elite club. Today, this issue is still in limbo, and no experts can predict its imminent solution.
The G8 is an unofficial forum of leaders of the leading industrialized democracies, whose members are Russia, the United States, Great Britain, France, Japan, Germany, Canada, Italy, and the EU is represented and participates in full. The G8 member countries account for 49% of world exports, 51% of industrial production, and 49% of IMF assets. Within the framework of the G8, approaches to pressing international problems are being coordinated.
The history of the G8 (formerly the G7) began in November 1975, when, at the initiative of French President Valerie Giscard d'Estaing, the first meeting of the leaders of six countries was held in Rambouillet (France), which Canada joined a year later. meetings are attended by representatives of the EU leadership (the European Union at the G8 summits is always represented by the Chairman of the Commission of the European Communities and the President of the European Council).
The first Russian contacts with the Group of Seven took place back in Soviet times. On July 17, 1991, in London, on the sidelines of the summit, a working meeting was held between President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev and the leaders of the G7. In the future, the leaders of the G7 countries adhered to a similar format for holding meetings with the Russian president.
The formation of the G8 was initiated in 1994 at a summit in Naples, Italy. Its first part was held in the "seven" format, and the second - in the "eight" format with the participation of the Russian president as an equal partner.
The summit in Lyon (France) in June 1996 was held in three stages: the first (in the format of the "seven") was devoted to the consideration of a number of international economic issues, the second and third - to the discussion with the participation of Russia of the entire complex of global and foreign policy problems.
As an equal partner, Russia was admitted to the G8 at the Denver (USA) summit in 1997. In the final communiqué, the partners acknowledged that Russia is "completing its historic transformation into a democratic state with a market economy."
The G8 is not an international organization. It is not based on an international treaty, has no formally defined criteria for admission, a charter and a permanent secretariat. The decisions of the G8 bear the character of political obligations of the participating states.
The G8 summits are held annually in turn in the partner countries, and the host country highest level, serves for a calendar year as Chairman of the G8. It organizes the holding of the summit, ministerial, expert and working meetings, develops a schedule and ensures the coordination of all the current work of the G8.
Discussions of heads of state and government are held in a narrow circle (only Sherpas, personal representatives of the leaders, are allowed). When making decisions, the principle of consensus applies.
G8 summits have been accompanied by anti-globalization protests for a number of years. Thus, the summit of the G8 countries in July 2001 in Genoa (Italy) gave rise to one of the loudest actions in the history of anti-globalists. 120 thousand people took to the streets. As a result of clashes with the police, protester Carlo Giuliani was killed - he became the first victim of anti-globalization speeches. Later, a native died under the wheels of a car French city Nice Susan Bendotti. 200 people were injured of varying severity, hundreds were arrested.
During the G8 meeting in St. Petersburg in July 2006, the "counter-summit" of anti-globalists gathered about 1,500 participants. For holding events, the anti-globalists were given a place that was chosen by themselves - at the Kirov stadium. Within the framework of the “counter-summit”, a “social forum”, a symposium on education problems and a seminar on protection issues were held social rights.
The anti-globalists expressed their gratitude to the Russian government for giving them the opportunity to visit St. Petersburg during the days of the G-8 summit and hold their alternative meeting.
In 2010, in Huntsville, Canada, a "free speech zone" was created specifically for protesters a few kilometers from the place where the heads of the G8 met. But the activity of anti-globalists was not observed.
In 2011 in France, anti-globalists spoke in Le Havre, 40 kilometers from the summit and serious problems the organizers did not create.
In 2012, the G-8 summit passed without numerous anti-globalization protests and was not marked by riots and clashes with the police.
On June 11, 2013, pickets of anti-globalists and anarchists in London, protesting against the G8 summit in Northern Ireland, took place in the central squares of the British capital. Protesters intermittently blocked traffic, creating numerous traffic jams.
For various offenses, including disobedience to the police and for attempts to obstruct traffic by law enforcement officers. One of the anti-globalists tried to jump off the roof of the building, but was caught by the police who came to the rescue.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources