G8 summit in Evian
Chancellor Gerhard Schröder will take part in the G8 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France from June 1 to 3. More countries
and organizations will be taking part in this year's summit than ever before. In addition to the G8 and the five NEPAD
countries who were at last year's summit, President Jacques Chirac invited seven further countries to attend (India,
Saudi-Arabia, Brazil, Mexico, Malaysia, Morocco and China). The heads of major development organizations such as the
World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the United Nations were also invited.
By inviting additional members of the political world to attend the summit the French presidency is further developing
an established precedent.
The summit will begin with a meeting of the G8 with all the other invited heads of state and government as well as
representatives of development organizations on the afternoon of June 1. This will be followed by the first official
agenda item, a meeting with the representatives of the five NEPAD countries to discuss one of the central themes of the
summit, "development prospects and structures of Africa".
NEPAD stands for "New Partnership for Africa's Development" and is an initiative undertaken by African countries who for
the first time emphasize their own collective responsibility for the mass poverty on their continent. NEPAD will be
represented at the summit by Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa.
Global economy a key summit topic
On the second day of the summit, June 2, the heads of state and government of the United States, Japan, Germany, France,
Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada and Russia (the group of leading industrial countries plus Russia or G8) will begin
their consultations. The state of the global economy will be a focal theme of the summit. The current positive trend in
the world economy as well as expectations for the second half of 2003 and the beginning of 2004 hold out hope for stable
growth and improved chances of being able to overcome the economic downturn. There is a general hope that after the
phase of uncertainty brought about by the war in Iraq it will be possible to get the global economy back on track
towards improvement. There will be a strong focus on the need for structural reforms which all the G8 countries see as a
task of preeminent importance.
Further topics: regional conflicts, trade, sustainable development and the fight against terrorism
Detailed attention will be given at the summit to the subject of regional conflicts. The main focuses in this connection
will be the post-war situation in Iraq and the Middle East peace process. There have been differences of opinion within
the G8 on Iraq and the post-war situation there. The passage of a resolution by the UN Security Council on May 22 has
improved the prospects for constructive cooperation on Iraq, something that will be of importance for resolving
conflicts in the region as a whole.
The G8 heads of state and government will also focus strongly on trade issues, given that trade is the basis for
economic growth and improvement of the global economy. Improved access of developing countries to the developed markets
of Asia, North America and Europe will be among the topics discussed.
Further summit topics will include sustainable development, debt relief, and the fight against terrorism.