39th G8 summit: Difference between revisions

{{Use Britishdmy (Oxford) Englishdates|date=MarchJanuary 20132023}}

The '''39th G8 summit''' was held on 17–18 June 2013, at the Lough Erne Resort, a five-star hotel and golf resort on the shore of [[Lough Erne]] in [[County Fermanagh]], [[Northern Ireland]].<ref name=cameron>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-20407937|title=What Makes Fermanagh an Attractive G8 Location|workpublisher=[[BBC News]]|date=20 November 2012|access-date=6 June 2013}}</ref> It was the sixth [[G8]] summit to be held in the [[United Kingdom]] and the first to be held in Northern Ireland. The earlier G8 summits hosted by the United Kingdom were held in London (1977, 1984, 1991), [[Birmingham]] (1998), and [[Gleneagles, (Scotland)|Gleneagles]] (2005).

The [[G8#History|Group of Six]] ([[G8#History|G6]]), started in 1975, was an unofficial forum which brought together the heads of the richest industrialized countries: [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Italy]], [[Japan]], the [[United Kingdom]], and the [[United States]]. This select few became the [[G8#History|Group of Seven]] ([[G8#History|G7]]) starting in 1976 when [[Canada]] joined. The Group of Eight was formed with the addition of [[Russia]] in 1997.<ref name="saunders1">Saunders, Doug. [https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080704.wG8-analysis05/BNStory/International/columnists "Weight of the world too heavy for G8 shoulders,"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011063004/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080704.wG8-analysis05/BNStory/International/columnists |date=11 October 2008 }} ''Globe and Mail'' (Toronto). 5 July 2008.</ref> In addition, the [[President of the European Commission]] has been formally included in summits since 1981.<ref name="reuters_what">Reuters: [http://uk.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUKB26280520080703?sp=true "Factbox: The Group of Eight: what is it?"], 3 July 2008.</ref> The summits were not meant to be linked formally with wider international institutions; and in fact, a mild rebellion against the stiff formality of other international meetings was a part of the genesis of cooperation between France's Presidentpresident [[Valéry Giscard d'Estaing]] and Germany's Chancellorchancellor [[Helmut Schmidt]] as they conceived the [[1st G6 summit|initial summit]] of the Group of Six in 1975.<ref name="reinalda205">Reinalda, Bob and Bertjan Verbeek. (1998). [https://books.google.com/books?id=Bt3AzOHtXwgC&pg=PA205&dq=G7+summit&clientpg=firefox-a#PPA205,M1PA205 ''Autonomous Policy Making by International Organizations,'' p. 205.]</ref>

The current form of the G8 is being evaluated. Some reports attribute resistance to the relatively smaller powers such as the UK, Canada, and Japan, who are said to perceive a dilution of their global stature. Alternately, a larger forum for global governance may be more reflective of the present multi-polar world.<ref name="kumar">Kumar, Rajiv. [http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2009/10/07/g20-tangible-results-of-pittsburgh/ "Tangible Results of Pittsburgh,"] ''Financial Chronicle.'' 30 September 2009.</ref>

The date and location of the summit was announced by British Prime Minister [[David Cameron]] in November 2012.<ref name=cameron/><ref>[http://www.gov.uk/government/news/lough-erne-g8-venue G8 Summit venue: Lough Erne] Gov.UK, 6 February 2013.</ref> According to Mark Simpson, the [[BBC]]'s Ireland Correspondent, the British Governmentgovernment chose Fermanagh for two main reasons: history and geography.<ref name=cameron/> Since the [[Partition of Ireland|formation of Northern Ireland]] in 1921, there has been tension and violence between its two main communities. The [[BritishUnionism unionismin the United Kingdom|unionist]]/[[Ulster loyalism|loyalist]] community (who are mostly Protestant) generally want Northern Ireland to remain within the United Kingdom, while the [[Irish nationalism|Irish nationalist]]/[[Irish republicanism|republican]] community (who are mostly Catholic) generally want it to leave the United Kingdom and join a [[united Ireland]]. From the late 1960s until the late 1990s, these two communities and the British state were involved in an ethno-nationalist conflict known as the [[The Troubles|Troubles]], in which over 3,500 people were killed. A [[Northern Ireland peace process|peace process]] led to the [[Good Friday Agreement|Belfast Agreement]] and [[ceasefire]]s by the paramilitary groups involved (such as the republican [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|Provisional IRA]], the loyalist [[Ulster Volunteer Force]]). The [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] government of David Cameron is a unionist one. By holding it in Northern Ireland, Cameron "will hope it sends the message to the rest of the world that the peace process has worked and normality has returned".<ref name=cameron/> The second reason is geography. G8 summits have always drawn large demonstrations, but Fermanagh's geography will make it hard for protesters. Much of the Lough Erne Resort is surrounded by water and almost all of the roads within 30 miles are [[single carriageway]].<ref name=cameron/>

Some have criticized the decision to hold the summit in Northern Ireland, due to ongoing protests and small-scale violence by both republicans and loyalists.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130419222912/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/g8-summit/northern-ireland-needs-g8-summit-in-fermanagh-like-a-hole-in-the-head-warns-green-mla-29102441.html "Northern Ireland needs G8 summit in Fermanagh like a hole in the head, warns Green MLA"]. ''[[The Belfast Telegraph]]'', 1 March 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2013.</ref> Since the Provisional IRA called a ceasefire at the end of the Troubles, [[dissident republican]] splinter groups have [[Dissident Irish Republican campaign|continued its paramilitary campaign]]. The main groups involved in this low-intensity campaign are the [[Real Irish Republican Army|Real IRA]], the [[Continuity Irish Republican Army|Continuity IRA]], and [[Óglaigh na hÉireann (Real IRA splinter group)|Óglaigh na hÉireann]]. Security sources expected that these groups would try to launch an attack during the summit, which "would hijack global headlines".<ref>[http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Report-says-New-IRA-is-planning-terrorist-attack-on-G8-summit-in-Fermanagh-189253011.html "Report says New IRA is planning terrorist attack on G8 summit in Fermanagh"]. IrishCentral. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2013.</ref>

In the [[Republic of Ireland]], almost 1,000 officers from the [[Garda Síochána]] mounted a security operation along [[IrishRepublic of Ireland–United Kingdom border|the border]].<ref>{{cite web|title=24-hour security planned for Belfast landmarks during G8 summit – VIDEO|date=12 June 2013 |url=http://www.irishcentral.com/news/24-hour-security-planned-for-belfast-landmarks-during-g8-summit-video-211171321-237595981.html|publisher=Irish Central|access-date=5 June 2014}}</ref> Eight temporary border checkpoints were manned by Garda units backed up by the [[Irish Army]].<ref name=garda>[https://archive.today/20130624211423/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/900-garda-officers-in-g8-operation-29323315.html "900 Garda officers in G8 operation"]. ''[[Belfast Telegraph]]'', 5 June 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2013.</ref> The Garda's elite tactical team, the [[Garda Emergency Response Unit|Emergency Response Unit]] (ERU), and the special operations forces from the [[Defence Forces (Ireland)|Defence Forces]], the [[Army Ranger Wing]] (ARW), were deployed on land and water to secure the border from unauthorised crossings.<ref>{{cite web|title=Anti-capitalist and republican security threats dominate preparations for G8 summit in Northern Ireland|url=http://www.ihs.com/products/global-insight/industry-economic-report.aspx?id=1065980172|publisher=IHS Inc.|access-date=5 June 2014}}</ref> Some of the delegations attending the summit stayed in the Republic,<ref name=garda/> and protesters announced their intention to hold demonstrations in [[Dublin]]. Like in Northern Ireland, a special court had also been set up in the Republic to deal with protesters who were arrested there. The court operated day and night at [[Cloverhill Prison]] in Dublin. Suspects remanded in custody would then be moved through a tunnel from the courthouse to the adjoining jail.<ref>[http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/special-court-to-help-tackle-g8-protesters-29332231.html "Special court to help tackle G8 protesters"]. ''[[Irish Independent]]'', 10 June 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2013.</ref> Meanwhile, American warships were deployed off the coast of [[County Donegal]] and in the [[Irish Sea]] as security measures.<ref>[http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/obamas-clan-plan-to-avoid-g8-protests-29348020.html Obama's clan plan to avoid G8 protests] Sunday Independent, 16 June 2013.</ref>

The cost of the summit is expected to be about £60 million. The Northern Ireland Governmentgovernment will pay £6 million and the British Governmentgovernment will pay for the rest.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-22750661 "Executive will pay £6m of £60m bill for G8 summit"]. [[BBC News]], 3 June 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013.</ref>

[[File:Barack Obama and VladmirVladimir Putin at G8 summit, 2013.jpg|thumb|250px|US President Barack Obama with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the summit.]]

The 39th G8 summit was the first and only summit for [[Prime Minister of Italy|Italian Prime Minister]] [[Enrico Letta]]. It was also the last summit for [[President of Russia|Russian President]] [[Vladimir Putin]] and Russia overall.

|colspan="4" style="text-align: center; background:Gainsboro" |'''[[Group of EightG8|Core G8 members]]'''<br><small>Host state and leader are shown in bold text.</small>

! {{flagicon|FRA|1974}}

| [[Chancellor of Germany (1949&ndash;)|Chancellor]]

| [[Shinzo Abe|Shinzō Abe]]

| [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]{{efn|Ireland had been the current chair (January–June 2013)<ref name=EU-Presidencies-ireland01>{{cite web|url=http://europa.eu/about-eu/institutions-bodies/council-eu/index_en.htm |title=Council of the European Union |quote=Presidencies 2011–2020 ... Ireland January–June 2013. |publisher=[[European Union]] |access-date=18 June 2013}}</ref> of the rotating [[Presidency of the Council of the European Union|EU Presidency]],<ref name="RTÉ-Kenny01">{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0615/456786-belfast-g8/ |title=Enda Kenny says G8 summit an Irish opportunity |quote=As chair of the rotating EU Presidency, Mr Kenny will attend talks on the fringes of the proceedings. |date=16 June 2013 |publisher=[[RTÉ News]] |access-date=18 June 2013}}</ref> and its leader was invited for talks on the sidelines of the summit about a US&ndash;EU trade deal.<ref name=IrishTimes-Kenny01>{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/us-and-eu-leaders-approve-wide-ranging-trade-talks-1.1432368 |title=US and EU leaders approve wide-ranging trade talks – Deal approved on sidelines of G8 summit in Fermanagh has potential to generate revenue in excess of €300 billion for global economy |quote=“The"The potential is enormous. We would see several thousand jobs for Ireland coming out of this",” said Taoiseach Enda Kenny after talks on the sideslines of the G8 summit with US president Barack Obama and the leaders of Britain, Germany, France and Italy. |first=Arthur |last=Beesley |date=18 June 2013|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |access-date=18 June 2013}}</ref>}}

[[File:Trade and Investment meeting at G8 summit, 2013.jpg|thumb|250px|Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership meeting at the G8 summit on 17 June 2013.]]

Officially, tax evasion and transparency were the themes of the summit. However, the [[Syrian civil war]] dominated the agenda. According to Cameron, it was also the most difficult issue addressed. A declaration signed by the eight nations outlines a seven-point plan for Syria. It calls for more humanitarian aid, "[maximizing] diplomatic pressure" aiming for [[Syrian conflict peace proposals|peace talks]], backing a transitional government, "[learning] the lessons of Iraq" by maintaining Syria public institutions, ridding the country of terrorists, condemning the use of chemical weapons "by anyone", and instilling a new non-sectarian government.<ref name=CBC /> They called for UN investigations into the use of chemical weapons with the promise that whoever had used them would be punished. Although Syrian President [[Bashar al-Assad]] was not mentioned by name in the declaration, Cameron said it was "unthinkable" that he would remain in power.<ref name=CBC>{{cite news|title=G8 leaders agree to 7-point plan on Syria as summit wraps|workpublisher=CBC News|date=18 June 2013|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/06/18/g8-harper-cameron-putin-obama.html|access-date=18 June 2013}}</ref>

Agreements were also reached on global [[tax evasion]] and [[data sharing]]. The G8 nations agreed to tight rules on corporate tax that sometimes allow companies to shift income from one nation to another to avoid taxes.<ref name=CBC /> They agreed that [[Shell corporation|shell]] companies should have to disclose their true owners, and that it should be easy for any G8 nation to obtain this information. Going forward, corporate and individual tax information will be shared automatically to help detect tax fraud and evasion.<ref name=BBC>{{cite news|title=G8 leaders agree tax evasion measures|publisher=BBC|date=18 June 2013|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22956374|access-date=18 June 2013}}</ref> The [[OECD|Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] was assigned to gather data on how multinationals evade taxes.<ref name=CBC />

During the summit the United States and the European Union (EU) announced they would enter into trade deal negotiations. Canadian PMPrime Minister [[Stephen Harper]] said the EU and Canada were close to wrapping up a similar deal after years of negotiations which should not be affected by the US-EU announcement.<ref name=CBC />

Harper and Obama also had an informal meeting to discuss border relations during the summit. Harper said they discussed "a range of Canada-US issues that you would expect, obviously the [[Keystone pipelinePipeline]]."<ref name=CBC />

File:Prime Minister Stephen- Harper-Cropped-2014-02-18 in 2006.jpg|{{flagicon|Canada}} '''[[Canada]]'''<br />[[Stephen Harper]], <br />[[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]]

File:FrancoisFrançois Hollande 2015- 2017 (27869823159) (cropped 2).jpegjpg|{{flagicon|France|1974}} '''[[France]]'''<br />[[François Hollande]], [[President of France|President]]

File:Angela Merkel - Juli 2010 - 3zu42019 cropped.jpg|{{flagicon|Germany}} '''[[Germany]]'''<br />[[Angela Merkel]], [[Chancellor of Germany (Federal Republic of Germany)|Chancellor]]

File:VladimirВладимир PutinПутин (18-06-2023) 2012(cropped).jpg|{{flagicon|Russia}} '''[[Russia]]'''<br />[[Vladimir Putin]], <br />[[President of Russia|President]]

File:Prime Minister David Cameron - official photograph (8947770804) (cropped).jpg|{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} '''[[United Kingdom]]'''<br />[[David Cameron]], <br />[[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]]

File:President Barack Obama, 2012 portrait crop.jpg|{{flagicon|United States}} '''[[United States]]'''<br />[[Barack Obama]], [[President of the United States|President]]

File:Herman Van Rompuy at the 37th G8 Summit in Deauville 030675.jpg|{{flagicon|EU}} '''[[European Union]]'''<br />[[Herman Van Rompuy]], [[President of the European Council|Council President]]

File:BarrosoJosé EPPManuel Summit OctoberBarroso 2010(cropped).jpg|{{flagicon|EU}} '''[[European Union]]'''<br />[[José Manuel Barroso]], <br />[[President of the European Commission|Commission President]]

File:Enda Kenny 2015(2012) (cropped).jpg|{{flagicon|Ireland}} '''[[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]'''<br>{{flagicon|EU}} '''[[European Union]]'''<br />'''Invited leader''' <br />[[Enda Kenny]], [[Taoiseach]], and current chair of the rotating [[Presidency of the Council of the European Union|EU Presidency]]<ref name=EU-Presidencies-ireland01/><ref name="RTÉ-Kenny01"/><ref name=IrishTimes-Kenny01/>

* [[G7|List of G8 Summitssummits]]

{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:21st-centuryG7 diplomatic conferencessummits|G8 summit 2013]]