De Europese Unie bij de G8 en G20 toppen in Canada (en)

The European Union is a full member of both the G8 and the G20. European Commission President Barroso and European Council President Van Rompuy represent the Union at the G8 and the G20 summits. The G8 summit will take place from 25-26 June in Huntsville (Muskoka district, Canada) and the G20 summit from 26-27 June in Toronto (Canada). The EU played a key role in launching the G20 leaders' process in 2008, and has provided much of the political impetus and substantive thinking that has established it as the premier forum for international economic cooperation at the G20 Pittsburgh summit in 2009.

The European Union's position

Commission President Barroso set out his view on the EU priorities for the G20 Summit on 13 May 2010 in a letter to the European Council (see MEMO/10/192). The European Council on 17 June finalised EU preparations of the G20 summit. On this basis, on 22 June, Presidents Van Rompuy and Barroso presented their thoughts on key issues on the agenda of the Toronto Summit in a letter to the other G20 members.

President Barroso at the G8 and G20 summits

President Barroso has continuously represented the EU since 2005. He participates for the sixth time in a G8 summit and for the fourth time in a G20 summit.

Who are the members of the G8 and the G20 leaders' processes?

The G8 members are: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union. This year's summit will also include outreach sessions with leaders from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

The G20 leaders' process includes the leaders of the European Union and 19 countries: South Africa, Canada, Mexico, United States, Argentina, Brazil, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Saudi-Arabia, France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Turkey, Russia, Australia. In 2010, the G20 chair also invited Spain, the Netherlands and the chairs of the African Union (Malawi), NEPAD (Ethiopia) and ASEAN (Vietnam).

Who are the G8 and G20 chairs?

In 2010 Canada chairs the G8 and South Korea chairs the G20. A second G20 summit will take place in Seoul on 11-12 November 2010. In 2011 France will take over the presidency of both the G8 and the G 20.

Is the G8 still relevant?

The G8 summit will be organised just ahead of the G20 summit. Both leaders' processes are differentiated and mutually reinforcing. Whereas the G20 is nowadays the first place to discuss international economic and financial issues, G8 leaders will continue giving relevant political impulses to the solution of global challenges. Their focus at the June summit will be on development policy issues, including progress towards the Millennium Development Goals and a Canadian initiative for child and maternal health. Furthermore, G8 leaders will discuss peace and security, non-proliferation, terrorism and organized crime. The June summit will also have an important accountability dimension to demonstrate that G8 leaders keep their commitments made over the years. As the G20, also the G8 summit will help keeping up the momentum in global trade talks (Doha Development Round) and in the UN climate change negotiations.

June G 8 summit - provisional programme

The provisional programme of the 2010 G8 summit comprises a lunch where economic and political trends will be discussed; followed by the first afternoon session G8 - Africa Outreach with Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Malawi (the current Chair of the Africa Union), and Ethiopia (Chair of NEPAD) participating. In the afternoon session G8-Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean Outreach with all of the above African leaders plus Colombia, Haiti and Jamaica is scheduled. In the evening there will be a dinner with a main focus on international governance, while on Saturday morning G8 leaders will discuss peace and security issues.

June G 20 summit - provisional programme

The G20 summit will start with the working dinner on Saturday 26 June where G20 leaders will discuss the global outlook and fiscal consolidation and continue with the plenary session focusing on the "Framework for strong, sustainable and balanced Growth" on Sunday morning. The reform of International Financial Institutions will be the main issue of the second plenary session followed by a working lunch where trade, protectionism, climate change and other issues will be discussed. In the closing session on Sunday, leaders will discuss financial sector reforms. The final plenary session will look ahead to the November G20 summit in Seoul and approve the leaders' declaration.

Further information

IP/10/784: “Securing strong and sustainable growth” - President Barroso and President Van Rompuy set out EU goals for the G20 summit in Toronto

Follow the EU at the summit on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/Europe_at_G20

President Barroso's website:

http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/president/index_en.htm

Further press material on

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  economic governance IP/10/561 and MEMO/10/204
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  financial market reform IP/10/656
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  development policy IP/10/451 and MEMO/10/147.