G7 in Elmau: Important reminders of the 2015 summit meeting

Created: 03/18/2022, 15:04

By: Helena Grillenberger

The G7 summit will take place again in 2022 at Schloss Elmau.

© Sven Hoppe/dpa

The G7 summit took place in Elmau in 2015.

Even then, Russia and Ukraine were on the agenda.

What else was important about the meeting of the heads of government: an overview.

Elmau - epidemics, refugees, Russia - these items were already on the agenda at the G7 summit in Elmau seven years ago.

In 2015, the then Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) called for Russia to return to the G7 and G8 soon.

"We must have no interest in the G8 remaining a G7 format in the long run,"

the current Federal President explained to the

at the time .

Because Russia is urgently needed when it comes to solving deadlocked conflicts in the European neighborhood such as in Syria, Iraq and Libya and the Iranian nuclear program.

Ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel said

2015 in the Merkur interview: "The summit will not be a flash in the pan", the work will continue after the meeting of the heads of government.

But what is left of the 2015 G7 summit?

The most important memories at a glance.

G7 summit in Elmau: These were the topics in 2015

In 2015, Russia and Ukraine were already a key topic at the G7 summit in Elmau.

After the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russia was excluded from the G8 summit. In Elmau, a possible return was discussed and the question of how Ukraine could be supported.

At the time, the Ukrainian government was hoping for arms deliveries from the West, while the German government stuck to a no.

These were the summit topics for 2015 at a glance:

• Russia/Ukraine: annexation of Crimea

• NSA/BND affair: Espionage by the US secret service NSA against German and European targets

• Terrorism: IS

• Africa: Preparation of the UN Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa

• Climate: Impulses for the World Climate Summit in December 2015

• Development: Preparation of the UN special summit on the "Post 2015" agenda in September in New York

• Health: Ebola epidemic in West Africa

• Environment: Pollution of the oceans by microplastics

• Equal rights for women: strengthening professional independence and education

• World economy: strengthening global trade

• Trade/Labour: Global environmental and social standards in the production of clothing and food

The refugee crisis also occupied the heads of government at the G7 summit in 2015. The topic was not officially on the agenda, but it was discussed nonetheless.

Merkel explained in the

at the time : "When we talk about the dangers of terrorism or about poverty, then this is also on the agenda, because both are causes of flight.

If we have to rescue so many people from the Mediterranean at the moment, we are not doing anything about the reasons for their flight.

That is why it is so important that the G7 not only deal with the economy, but also with development goals and with the question of how we can use our development aid even more effectively so that people can lead a dignified life and do not leave their homes in droves".

G7 summit in Elmau: That cost the meeting of the heads of government in 2015

The cost and effort involved in hosting the G7 summit was criticized in 2015.

Over 110 million euros had been estimated, the actual costs amounted to around 135 million euros.

The taxpayers' association had previously even estimated the financial expenditure at almost 360 million euros. 

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Political celebrities in front of a picture book backdrop: In June 2015, the heads of state and government of the leading Western industrialized countries posed for a group photo in front of Elmau Castle.

© dpa

80,000 euros flowed into the logo of the summit alone, which had to be changed from G8 to G7 after Russia was excluded.

A lot of money was also spent on security measures at the time: around 20,000 police officers were on duty in and around Elmau in 2015.

The Bavarian Minister of the Interior, Joachim Herrmann, said before the summit that he was expecting 2,000 to 3,000 demonstrators.

In the end, there were probably not even 500 people who actually demonstrated on site.

G7 summit at Schloss Elmau: what the community remembered from the meeting

While the heads of government met in Elmau, there were some restrictions for the locals.

Sealed manhole covers, even in the towns around Elmau.

Families who were no longer allowed to visit their chicken coop across the street.

Opinions differ as to whether the region benefited from the G7 summit.

The mayor of Krün, Thomas Schwarzenberger (CSU), planned a documentary about the G7 summit.

Because: The district of Klais, in which Elmau Castle is located, belongs to the municipality of Krün.

There in front of the town hall found that

legendary white sausage breakfast by Obama and Merkel.

A copy of the seating area where Obama drank a few sips of non-alcoholic beer and ate a few bites of white sausage commemorated the event of June 7 in the summer of 2015.

Even two small museums for the G7 summit were planned, later there was talk of a pavilion in front of the town hall.

In Krün in 2015, then-US President Barack Obama discussed pretzels and wheat beer with Mayor Thomas Schwarzenberger.

Obama later thanked the “First Mayor” of the Alpine community in a letter.

© Steffen Kugler/DPA

G7 in Elmau: Criticism from conservationists at the 2015 summit

Axel Doering, Garmisch district chairman of the Bund Naturschutz (BN) in Bavaria, saw the summit more critically: "Too big, in the wrong place and at the wrong time," was his assessment at the time.

At that time, many animals were disturbed in the middle of the breeding season by the kilometer-long security fence around Elmau Castle.

Nesting eagles were startled by the constant noise of helicopters.

"In the nursery of nature, gross mischief was done," Doering said in 2015.

In addition, public life almost collapsed in the days surrounding the summit, the environmentalist explained.

Numerous bank branches and shops were closed for several days.

Not even ATMs spat out cash.

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The effects of the G7 summit were also clearly felt outside the region at the time: hundreds of refugees were suddenly stranded at the train stations in Rome and Milan, since Germany - although the summit only lasted from June 7th to 8th - from May 26th had introduced strict border controls at its internal Schengen borders by June 15.

This temporarily interrupted the refugee routes within the EU.

G7 summit in Elmau: Demonstrations against the meeting of the heads of government

There were some demonstrations against the 2015 summit.

Around 40,000 people gathered in Munich at the time to demonstrate against the meeting of the heads of the seven industrial nations.

There had also been protests in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the surrounding area.

However, the demonstrations in 2015 remained largely peaceful, and the then Prime Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) was convinced: "Our security concept worked perfectly." Extensive security measures are also planned for 2022.

But there were also protests with injuries: During a dispute with G7 opponents, some officials were attacked with fire extinguishers and bottles, the police said.

In the run-up to the demo, the police had increased their presence because they had also expected demonstrators from the violent autonomous spectrum.

G7 summit in Elmau: That's what's left of the 2015 meeting

What is left of the 2015 G7 summit?

Memories of police officers in love, the beer garden character of the reception and a great picture of Merkel and Obama.

But the negative aspects are also remembered - and explain the concerns of the residents that they will again be restricted in their everyday life.

And what remains politically from the meeting of the seven?

What are the goals of this year's summit?

In recent years, the countries involved have striven, among other things, to stabilize the financial markets, reform international corporate taxation, contain AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, strengthen women's rights and fight climate change.

They are currently also involved in overcoming the corona pandemic: for example by promoting global vaccine production and distributing vaccine doses to developing countries.

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You can find more current news from the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen at Merkur.de/Garmisch-Partenkirchen.