What is the G7 Summit and where will it be held in 2022?
Created: 05/04/2022, 10:10 am
By: Caroline Metz
The G7 summit will take place in Germany in summer 2022.
But what does it even mean and what is discussed there?
Garmisch-Partenkirchen – In June 2022, heads of state and government will travel to Elmau for the G7 summit.
The G7 meet there for a three-day event.
meeting | G7 summit |
|---|---|
organizer | Presidency of the G7 |
Participant | Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Canada, USA |
frequency | once a year |
G7 summit in Elmau: Who belongs to the G7?
G7 stands for "Group of Seven".
The G7 are an informal association of the seven most important industrial nations in the western world at the time they were founded.
The G7 countries are:
Germany
France
Italy
Japan
Canada
USA
United Kingdom
The group was formed in 1975.
Since 1977, the EU has also taken part in all meetings as an observer.
The G7 is not an international organization, has no administrative apparatus and no permanent representation of its members.
Angela Merkel at the G7 summit at Schloss Elmau in 2015. © picture allinace/ dpa / Michael Kappeler
G7 Summit: What is the purpose of the G7?
The association organizes regular world economic meetings, the so-called G7 summits.
Originally, the heads of state and government of the participating nations exchanged views on global economic issues in personal talks.
In the meantime, however, the topics of the G7 summit have expanded significantly: foreign and security policy topics as well as population development, health, education, environmental protection, climate and the fight against terrorism are also on the agenda.
The heads of government agree on common positions and goals and adopt a joint summit declaration.
also read
Ukraine rejects ceasefire and makes final demands on Russia
"Like 1945": Putin is confident of victory - but the West puts the next damper on Russia
The G7 sees itself as a community of values, the members are committed to democracy, the rule of law, freedom, human rights, prosperity and sustainable development.
The decisions of the G7 are not legally binding.
However, due to the political and economic weight of the G7 nations, they have an influence on many other nations and organizations.
G7 summit in Elmau: How do the G7 work?
The summits are the culmination of the G7's work, but not the only activity.
Meetings between experts and ministers take place throughout the year.
The G7 nations coordinate their positions and initiatives in the various areas in working groups.
The chief negotiators of the heads of state and government, the so-called Sherpas, prepare the topics for the summit.
Shortly before the G7 summit, the foreign ministers of the member states meet and discuss foreign policy issues.
All G7 outcomes are recorded in joint statements.
What do you hope for from the G7 summit in Elmau?
How did the G7 come about?
In 1975, the Group of Six (G6) was formed as part of a fireside chat at Rambouillet Castle.
The heads of state and government from Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan and the USA took part in this meeting.
In 1976, Canada joined the group.
Who holds the presidency of the G7?
The presidency of the G7 changes every year, and all member countries take turns in rotation.
Germany will hold the G7 presidency in 2022, taking it over from Great Britain and handing it over to Japan in 2023.
The country holding the presidency organizes the summit meeting and sets the agenda for it.
When and where will the G7 Summit 2022 take place?
The G7 summit 2022 will take place from June 26th to 28th, 2022 in the Hotel Schloß Elmau near Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
The last G7 meeting under the German presidency was also held here in June 2015.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz chairs the conference.
The 2022 G7 summit will take place at Hotel Schloss Elmau near Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
When and where did the G7 summit take place in 2021?
In 2021, the G7 summit was held in St. Ives, chaired by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
It was the first G7 meeting since 2019, since the 2020 event had been canceled due to the corona pandemic and disagreements about the group of participants.
What is G8?
In 1998 the circle was expanded to include Russia - thus the Group of Seven became the G8.
Due to Russia's actions against Ukraine in the Crimean crisis, however, the other G8 countries canceled their participation in the planned G7 summit in Sochi in 2014 and decided to meet again in the G7 format without Russia for the time being.
In June 2014, an alternative G7 meeting was organized in Brussels without Russia's participation.
G7 summit in Elmau: Why is it criticized?
The merger of the G7 and the meeting have been criticized from various quarters.
One accusation is based on the fact that the group of participants is limited to Western industrialized countries.
Therefore the G7 summit does not represent all regions of the world nor the different stages of development of the different nations.
In addition, it is criticized that the decision-making process of the G7 is not transparent and the resolutions are often not implemented.
Above all, movements critical of globalization criticize the G7 and organize protest events on the occasion of the summit.
During the G8 summit in Genoa in 2001, the Italian student Carlo Giuliani was killed in a street fight – he was shot by a police officer.
Again and again there are violent clashes between demonstrators and the police, which often lead to court proceedings.