Hector

History and context

The G6 was created in 1975 on the initiative of the French president Valery Giscard d'Estaing at the time of a top between the six Heads of States founders to the Château of Rambouillet from November 15th to 17th 1975 in order to treat the economic questions and financial in an abstract way. In other words, G8 does not have a particular structure, he does not answer a protocol or an organization: it is about a meeting of leaders, in a “ relaxed environment ”, “ to discuss the businesses of the world ”.

Economic importance

In 2004 then in 2005, according to the Gross domestic product (GDP) classified according to the purchasing powers, the 8 members are classified among the 11 richest countries of the world.

China (7.124 of billion dollars by the GDP with purchasing power parity), India (3.363 of billion dollars) and Brazil (1.483 of billion dollars) do not form part of the G8 although they exceed certain countries of G8 by this indicator. However, these emergent countries do not form part of the first seven world producers if one sticks to calculation of the GDP with foreign exchange rates in force.

In the world, the G8 recovers only 13,5% of the world population, but it produces two thirds of the richnesses of the world.

Structure and activities

The G8 is not a transnational administration, unlike institutions like the organizations of the system of the the United Nations such as UNO or the the World Bank. The presidency of the group turns among the Member States each year. The country holding the presidency accommodates a series of meetings at the ministerial level bringing to a top of two or three days in the middle of the year with the Heads of States and governments. It is also responsible for the safety of the participants.

The ministerial meetings gather qualified ministers in fields such as health, education, energy, the environment, justice and safety. Most known of these last is the G7 which refers now specifically to the annual meeting of the Ministers for the economy of G8, except Russia, as well as civils servant of the European Union.

For example, in June 2005, the Ministers for the justice and the interior agreed on the launching of a base of international data of the paedophiles.

History of the Member States

G6 in 1975: the United States, Japan, the Federal Republic of Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Italy;
G7 in 1976: Canada joined the group;
G8 in 1998: the Federation of Russia joined the group.

Note : the European Union takes part in it as such.

Summits

Each year, the tops of G8 change country in this order: France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada. It should be noted however that Russia does not organize the top for the first time in 2006 (whereas it joined the group in 1998). China and Spain are possible future candidates.

Preceding tops

G6

G7

G8

Future tops

Fights against G8

During previous years, there practically was not only one top which proceeded without clashes, that it is with Genoa or Evian. In Genoa, a demonstrator of the name of Carlo Giuliani was killed of a ball in the head with bearing end by a little prepared police officer and obviously panicked, it since became a symbol of the anarchistic fight. At the time of the top of Evian, an activist, suspended by a cord with a highway bridge in order to hang a streamer there was precipitated in the vacuum after a Swiss police officer cut the cord to release the passage to the cars. It is of accuracy that it will be left there after a fall 23 meters (approx. 7 stages) with a crushed foot and lumbar fractures. In June 2007, a fundamental witness assigned to appear, to the sides of 28 other police officers, in front of the court charged to judge police violences at the time of the “Night with the bludgeons” at the Diaz school in Genoa (which lodged militants in particular in charge of the communication on G8 for independent information networks), delivers information compromising for the police force, shown since years of acts of an extreme violence during this G8 and which the abuses did not recognize yet officially nor not sanctioned in spite of many complaints: confirming the allegations of many militants, Michelangelo Baker, commander of an anti-riot group thus affirms to be itself opposite in vain with a “butchery” under the insults of its subordinates. At the same time, 45 police officers are judged by another court.

At the time, the executive power, far from assuming any responsibility in these violences, dismissed the chief of the police force, which had been named under the preceding government.

In the same way, the protests were strong against the meetings of the the IMF to Prague or Berlin and against that of OMC to Seattle. Thus, since the demonstrations of Genoa in 2001, the tops of G8 do not proceed usually more in the metropolises, but in difficult to reach and easily controllable spaces.

From June 6th to 8th 2007 the annual summit of G8 takes place in Germany with Heiligendamm in the Kempinski Grand Hotel in the Western area of Mecklembourg-Poméranie (north-eastern). It is about a seaside resort at the edge of the Baltic. Heiligendamm is located at 20 km in the west of Rostock and at 200 km of Berlin. 100.000 demonstrators are awaited there, like 16000, and thousand policemen of soldiers. A wall of netting of a dozen kilometers raised for the occasion makes rampart against any attempt at incursion.

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