This week’s G7 Summit will feature seven world leaders, four of which have taken up their post within the last year.
U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni all have their own agendas going into this year’s G7 meeting in Taormina, Italy. Other world leaders in attendance include: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President of the EU Council Donald Tusk, President of the EU Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe.
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Some of the items on the agenda today include climate change, terrorism, the migrant crisis and trade. Here’s a look at the various priorities of each first-timer going into the 42nd meeting of the Group of Seven:
U.S. President Donald Trump
Trump is likely the most controversial world leader attending this year’s summit, and he brings with him several controversial policy ambitions. In regards to climate change discussions, Trump is threatening to pull the United States out of a 2015 climate deal signed in Paris under former president Barack Obama. While he has declined to back the agreement during his time in Taormina, Trump advisers say he will make his decision following the Summit.
“Look, we believe in the environment, too. We believe in clean air. We believe in clean water,” Trump’s economic adviser Gary Cohn said. “But we also believe in economic growth. We believe in bringing manufacturing back to the United States, so we have to balance that. … If those things collide, growing our economy is going to win.”
One of the main topics of discussion during Trump’s presidential campaign is also on the table today; trade. Trump rode to victory partially on anti-free-trade rhetoric, which directly opposes the principles that many G7 leaders stand for. Furthermore, in a private meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Trump also referred to the German trade surplus as “very bad,” and reportedly complained about the large number of cars being sold in the United States.
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Cohn explained ahead of the conference that the meeting would feature “a very robust discussion on trade, and we will be talking about what free and open means.” He went on to say that the U.S. will aim to reciprocate the treatment offered by its trading partners.
“If you don’t have barriers to trade or you don’t have tariffs, we won’t have tariffs.”
French President Emmanuel Macron
Climate change and trade are also the top priorities of weeks-old French Prime Minister Macron. The 39-year-old leader won the French election on the sails of globalization, economic freedom, immigration friendliness and co-operation over far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen.
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Coming into the 42nd meeting of the Group of Seven, Macron hoped to convince Trump to soften his views on the environment and free trade, though seemingly, to no avail. It’s important to note that Macron comes into this meeting with the goal or pursuing “reciprocity on trade.” In a meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May, Macron also described Europeans as often being “too naive” in their approach to trade deals.
A senior French official also stated that Macron spoke at length with Trump about the Paris agreement, and remains critical of Trump’s threats to pull out of the deal.
“This is the first real opportunity that the international community has to force the American administration to begin to show its hand, particularly on environment policy,” said Tristen Naylor, a lecturer at the University of Oxford and deputy director of the G20 Research Group.
U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May
May’s presence at the G7 summit immediately follows the Manchester suicide bombing that killed 22 people and left almost 60 injured; one of the worst terrorist attacks in the U.K. since July 2005.
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Unsurprisingly, her main ambition at the meeting is to champion action on the growing terrorist threat around the world. So far, she’s received ample support. One of her top priorities is to urge the major industrialized nations of the world to force technology companies to combat websites and social media platforms that are integral to the spread radical ideologies.
“The PM will say that the threat we face is evolving, rather than disappearing, as Daesh (Islamic State) loses ground in Iraq and Syria. The fight is moving from the battlefield to the internet,” a government source said.
She quickly won support for these goals, though she tactfully avoided discussing the imminent talks for the U.K. to leave the European Union. According to a spokesperson, May reportedly spoke with Trump and reaffirmed their commitment to a post-Brexit trade deal.
Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni
Gentiloni hoped to use the G7 to shine a light on issues especially relevant to Italy, starting with staging the meeting in eastern Sicily to focus attendees on Africa. More than 500,000 migrants have reached Italy since 2014 and over 50,000 migrants — mostly from sub-Saharan Africa — have come ashore this year alone, according to the Italian Interior Ministry. This number is growing at record rates and is up 46 per cent from the same time last year.
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“Africa is very important for us. Indeed, it is perhaps the focus of our G7 presidency,” said Raffaele Trombetta, the senior Italian diplomat
In response, Gentiloni hoped to propose a plan for developing the African economy to discourage migrants from fleeing to Europe. One proposal on the table is a plan to sponsor young African entrepreneurs to help strengthen the country’s economy.
In addition, Gentiloni had also hoped to unveil a multi-billion euro project to promote foods security, though neither the United States or Japan would back it.
What other issues are being discussed?
The leaders taking in the G7 Summit, including those recently elected, issued a joint statement on fighting terrorism, urging internet service providers and social media companies to “substantially increase” their efforts to control the spread of extremist content.
“We will combat the misuse of the Internet by terrorists. While being one of the most important technological achievements in the last decades, the Internet has also proven to be a powerful tool for terrorist purposes,” said a joint statement signed by G7 leaders.
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Finally, the Group of Seven went by the Group of Eight not long ago. The EU bloc along with the United States imposed sanctions on Russia after Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and then backed separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine not long after. While Russia remains a member of the G20, its membership in the G8 has been suspended since 2014.
Aside from Trump’s decision to take no position on this issue, these discussions will take place on the second day of the Summit.
With files from Reuters and the Associated Press.
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