24th G8 summit: Difference between revisions
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==Leaders at the Summit== |
==Leaders at the Summit== |
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The G8 is an unofficial annual forum for the heads of Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Japan, the United States, Canada (since 1976), the European Commission (since 1981), and Russia (since 1998).<ref name="reuters_what"/> |
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===Permanent G8 participants=== |
===Permanent G8 participants=== |
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*{{flagicon|Canada}} '''[[Canada]]''' - [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Jean Chrétien]].<ref name="j-mofa1"/> |
*{{flagicon|Canada}} '''[[Canada]]''' - [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Jean Chrétien]].<ref name="j-mofa1"/> |
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| ⚫ | *{{flagicon|EU}} '''[[European Union]]''' - [[President of the European Commission|President]] [[Jacques Santer]]<ref>[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)]]: [http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/economy/summit/2000/past_summit/table_e/index.html Summit (24)]; [[European Union]]: [http://www.deljpn.ec.europa.eu/union/showpage_en_union.external.g8.php "EU and the G8"]</ref> |
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*{{flagicon|France}} '''[[France]]''' - [[President of France|President]] [[Jacques Chirac]].<ref name="j-mofa1"/> |
*{{flagicon|France}} '''[[France]]''' - [[President of France|President]] [[Jacques Chirac]].<ref name="j-mofa1"/> |
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*{{flagicon|Germany}} '''[[Germany]]''' - [[Chancellor of Germany (Federal Republic)|Chancellor]] [[Helmut Kohl]].<ref name="j-mofa1"/> |
*{{flagicon|Germany}} '''[[Germany]]''' - [[Chancellor of Germany (Federal Republic)|Chancellor]] [[Helmut Kohl]].<ref name="j-mofa1"/> |
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*{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} '''[[United Kingdom]]''' - [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Tony Blair]].<ref name="j-mofa1"/> |
*{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} '''[[United Kingdom]]''' - [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Tony Blair]].<ref name="j-mofa1"/> |
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*{{flagicon|USA}} '''[[United States]]''' - [[President of the United States|President]] [[Bill Clinton]].<ref name="j-mofa1"/> |
*{{flagicon|USA}} '''[[United States]]''' - [[President of the United States|President]] [[Bill Clinton]].<ref name="j-mofa1"/> |
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+<br> |
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| ⚫ | {{flagicon|EU}} '''[[European Union]]''' - [[President of the European Commission|President]] [[Jacques Santer]]<ref>[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)]]: [http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/economy/summit/2000/past_summit/table_e/index.html Summit (24)]; [[European Union]]: [http://www.deljpn.ec.europa.eu/union/showpage_en_union.external.g8.php "EU and the G8"]</ref> |
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==Priorities== |
==Priorities== |
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Revision as of 14:01, 28 May 2010
| 24th G8 summit | |
|---|---|
 24th G8 summit official logo | |
| Host country | United Kingdom |
| Dates | May 15-17 |
The 24th G8 Summit was held at Birmingham, England between May 15 to 17 1998. The venue for this summit meeting was the Birmingham International Convention Centre.[1]
The Group of Seven (G7) was an unofficial forum which brought together the heads of the richest industrialized countries: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada starting in 1976. The G8, meeting for the first time in 1997, was formed with the addition of Russia.[2] In addition, the President of the European Commission has been formally included in summits since 1981.[3] The summits were not meant to be linked formally with wider international institutions; and in fact, a mild rebellion against the stiff formality of other international meetings was a part of the genesis of cooperation between France's President Giscard d'Estaing and Germany's Chancellor Helmut Schmidt as they conceived the initial summit of the Group of Six (G6) in 1975.[4]
Leaders at the Summit
The G8 is an unofficial annual forum for the heads of Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Japan, the United States, Canada (since 1976), the European Commission (since 1981), and Russia (since 1998).[3]
Permanent G8 participants
Canada - Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.[1]
European Union - President Jacques Santer[5]
France - President Jacques Chirac.[1]
Germany - Chancellor Helmut Kohl.[1]
Italy - Prime Minister Romano Prodi.[1]
Japan - Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto.[1]
Russia - President Boris Yeltsin.[1]
United Kingdom - Prime Minister Tony Blair.[1]
United States - President Bill Clinton.[1]
Priorities
Traditionally, the host country of the G8 summit sets the agenda for negotiations, which take place primarily amongst multi-national civil servants in the weeks before the summit itself, leading to a joint declaration which all countries can agree to sign.
Issues
The summit was intended as a venue for resolving differences among its members. As a practical matter, the summit was also conceived as an opportunity for its members to give each other mutual encouragement in the face of difficult economic decisions.[4]
Business opportunity
For some, the G8 summit became a profit-generating event; as for example, the official G8 Summit magazines which have been published under the auspices of the host nations for distribution to all attendees since 1998.[6]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Japan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA): Summit Meetings in the Past.
- ^ Saunders, Doug. "Weight of the world too heavy for G8 shoulders," Globe and Mail (Toronto). July 5, 2008.
- ^ a b Reuters: "Factbox: The Group of Eight: what is it?", July 3, 2008.
- ^ a b Reinalda, Bob and Bertjan Verbeek. (1998). Autonomous Policy Making by International Organizations, p. 205.
- ^ Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan): Summit (24); European Union: "EU and the G8"
- ^ Prestige Media: "official" G8 Summit magazine
References
- Bayne, Nicholas and Robert D. Putnam. (2000). Hanging in There: The G7 and G8 Summit in Maturity and Renewal. Aldershot, Hampshire, England: Ashgate Publishing. 10-ISBN 0-754-61185-X; 13-ISBN 978-0-754-61185-1; OCLC 43186692
- Reinalda, Bob and Bertjan Verbeek. (1998). Autonomous Policy Making by International Organizations. London: Routledge. 10-ISBN 0-415-16486-9; 13-ISBN 978-0-415-16486-3
External links
- Official G8 website: Birmingham summit, 1998; n.b., no official website is created for any G7 summit prior to 1995 -- see the 21st G7 summit.
- University of Toronto: G8 Research Group, G8 Information Centre