The G-7 regains its pulse after the departure of Donald Trump

Many things have changed inside and outside the United States after the departure of Donald Trump from the White House.

Among them the commitment of the world's leading economy to global institutions.

And the countries of the group of the seven main economies in the world, the G-7, —which include Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, which holds the rotating presidency this year— have wanted to make clear that change.

After the virtual meeting held this Friday, the G-7 leaders have pledged to intensify international cooperation to face the crisis caused by the covid-19 pandemic and to “work together and with others to make 2021 a turning point for multilateralism, ”the statement underlines.

It was also the first international act of the new president of the United States, Joe Biden, as well as the Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, whose country this year holds the rotating presidency of the G-20.

Following Trump's departure and with 2.4 million deaths worldwide from the coronavirus, the need for international cooperation remains pressing.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has failed, as he intended, to elicit a concrete commitment from his G-7 counterparts both to reduce the development time for new vaccines and treatments and to send the excess to poorer countries. of vaccines they may have in their countries.

Among other issues because, as US President Joe Biden has reminded him, the priority at this time for all rulers is to first vaccinate their entire population.

There have been commitments for financial contributions.

"Today with new financial commitments of more than 4,000 million dollars (3,300 million euros) for the Covax initiative (to provide doses of vaccines to emerging countries), the total support of the G-7 amounts to 7.500 million dollars" ( 6,193 million euros), highlights the group's statement.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed her support for Johnson's plans to share surplus vaccines because, as she stressed to the press after her intervention in information collected by the agencies, “the pandemic will not be over until everyone has been vaccinated ”.

Likewise, Germany has announced that it will contribute an additional 1.5 billion euros to the global fight against the pandemic, which makes the Central European country the first individual donor within the multilateral efforts to tackle the coronavirus.

The US has announced the immediate contribution of 2 billion dollars (1.65 billion euros) and another 2 billion in the short term for this initiative.

The G-7 communiqué also underlines the need to continue supporting economies to ensure recovery.

“We have provided unprecedented support to our economies over the past year amounting to $ 6 trillion across the G-7.

We will continue to support our economies to protect employment and favor a strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive recovery, ”the note said.

"The recovery of covid-19 must rebuild a better economy for all," insists the statement, which is committed to reforming the World Trade Organization and reaching a consensual reform for the middle of this year of international taxation in the framework of the work carried out by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The G-7 has also made a mention of China, by ensuring that the powers will seek a collective response to counter "non-market-oriented policies" and underline their commitment to the G-20 countries, "including large economies. like China to reinforce a fair and beneficial global economic system for the whole world ”.

Johnson also highlighted the role that the G-7 plays in defending democratic values ​​and recalled the unanimous condemnation of its leaders to the coup in Myanmar or the arrest of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalni.

"The prime minister has insisted on the responsibility of the G-7 to demonstrate to the world the benefits of our shared democratic values ​​to create open and prosperous societies," Downing Street stressed after the meeting in a statement.

Also, the

British

hoped to meet again, this time in person, the leaders next June in Cornwall.

Russia, no invitation to return to the group

The days of close attunement between the tenants of the White House and the Kremlin also seem to be behind us with the departure of Donald Trump from the US presidency.

The new Joe Biden Administration is not thinking of inviting Russia to attend the meetings of the Group of Seven (G-7), as Trump had stated, as confirmed this Friday by White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki, aboard the

.

In any case, any invitation to expand the G-7 as a full member will be issued by agreement of the entire group, Psaki explained.

Russia was part of the group, then called the G-8, between 1997 and 2014, more for its political and military weight than for its economic and financial strength.

She was excluded from the organization in March 2014 after annexing the Crimean peninsula, which led to the condemnation of the international community and a battery of sanctions. Last June, Trump openly criticized the G-7 when he considered that It is about a “very outdated group of countries” and it showed its interest in incorporating countries such as Russia, Australia, South Korea or India, which are part of the G-20, into the annual meetings it holds.