Group of Eight(G8),formerly and subsequentlyGroup of 7 (G7), intergovernmental organization that originated in 1975 through informal summit meetings of the leaders of the worlds leading industrialized countries (the

Group of Eight(G8),formerly and subsequentlyGroup of 7 (G7), intergovernmental organization that originated in 1975 through informal summit meetings of the leaders of the worlds leading industrialized countries (theUnited States, theUnited Kingdom,France, WestGermany,Italy,Canada, andJapan).Canadadid not attend the initial meeting in 1975, and the president of theEuropean Commissionjoined the discussions in 1977. Beginning in 1994,

HYPERLINK "http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/513251/Russia" Russiajoined the discussions, and the group became known as the Group of 8 (G8), or the Political Eight; Russia officially became the eighth member in 1997. In March 2014 Russia precipitated an international crisis when it occupied and annexedCrimea, an autonomous republic ofUkraine. The originalGroup of 7(G7) responded by indefinitely suspending Russias membership in the group, effectively dissolving the larger G8.With no formal charter, a limited bureaucratic structure, and no permanent secretariat, leaders of the G7 discuss major economic issues in an informal setting. The agenda has changed depending on international circumstancese.g., the oil crises in the 1970s, global environmental issues in the 1980s, economic transition in the formerly communist countries and debt and financial instability in the 1990s, and the special problems facing Africa in the early 21st century. Historically, when noneconomic issues such asterrorism, drug trafficking,human rights, regional security, andarms controldominated the discussions, the G8 was convened.Prior to the annual summits, the leaders personal representatives (known as sherpasambassadors, secretaries in foreign offices, or other diplomatic advisers) provide the groundwork for discussions, and follow-up ministerial meetings give specificity to the decisions taken and offer substantive guidance on pertinent issues to theUnited NationsGeneral Assembly sessions and toInternational Monetary FundandWorld Bankmeetings. The meetings, the sites of which are rotated among member states, permit valuable personal relationships to develop. Leaders are better able to establish priorities, give guidance tointernational organizations, and reach collective decisions. Since the late 1990s the annual meetings have attracted intense international media attention andantiglobalizationdemonstrations.

TheGroup of Eight(G8) was the name of a forum for the governments of a group of eight leading industrialised countries that was originally formed by six leading industrialised countries and subsequently extended with two additional members.[1]Russia, which was invited to join as the last member, was excluded from the forum by the other members on March 24, 2014, as a result of its involvement in the2014 Crimea crisisinUkraine.[2]Thus the group now comprises seven nations and will continue to meet as theG7group of nations.The forum originated with a 1975 summit hosted byFrancethat brought together representatives of six governments: France,West Germany,Italy,Japan, theUnited Kingdom, and theUnited States, thus leading to the nameGroup of SixorG6. The summit became known as theGroup of SevenorG7the following year with the addition ofCanada. The G7 is composed of the seven wealthiest developed countries on Earth (by nationalnet wealthor by GDP[3]), and it remained active even during the period of the G8.Russiawas added to the group from 1998 to 2014, which then became known as the G8. TheEuropean Unionis represented within the G8 but cannot host or chair summits.[4]The40th summitbecame the first time the European Union able to host and chair a summit."G8" can refer to the member states in aggregate or to the annualsummit meetingof the G8heads of government. The former term, G6, is now frequently applied to thesix most populous countries within the European Union. G8 ministers also meet throughout the year, such as theG7/8 finance ministers (who meet four times a year), G8 foreign ministers, or G8 environment ministers.Collectively, in 2012 the G8 nations comprised50.1% of 2012 global nominal GDPand40.9% of global GDP (PPP). Each calendar year the responsibility of hosting the G8 is rotated through the member states in the following order: France, United States, United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada. The holder of thepresidencysets the agenda, hosts the summit for that year, and determines which ministerial meetings will take place. Both France and the United Kingdom have expressed a desire to expand the group to include five developing countries, referred to as theOutreach Five(O5) or the Plus Five: Brazil (7th country in the world by nominal GDP[3]), People's Republic of China (2nd country in the world by GDP[3]), India (10th country in the world by GDP[5]), Mexico, and South Africa. These countries have participated as guests in meetings which are sometimes calledG8+5.With theG-20 major economiesgrowing in stature since the2008 Washington summit, world leaders from the group announced at theirPittsburgh summiton September 25, 2009, that the group would replace the G8 as the main economic council of wealthy nations.[6]

HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G8" \l "cite_note-7" [7]On March 24, 2014, the original G7 nations voted to effectively suspend Russia from the organization in response to the country'sannexationofCrimea;[8]

HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G8" \l "cite_note-9" [9]

HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G8" \l "cite_note-10" [10]however, it was made clear that the suspension was temporary.[11]History[edit]

At the 34th G8 Summit atToyako, Hokkaido, formal photo during Tanabata matsuri event for world leaders Silvio Berlusconi(Italy),Dmitry Medvedev(Russia),Angela Merkel(Germany),Gordon Brown(UK),Yasuo Fukuda(Japan),George W. Bush(US),Stephen Harper(Canada),Nicolas Sarkozy(France),Jos Manuel Barroso(EU) July 7, 2008.The concept of a forum for the world's major industrialized countries emerged prior the1973 oil crisis. On Sunday, March 25, 1973,Secretary of the TreasuryGeorge Shultzconvened an informal gathering offinance ministersfrom West Germany (Helmut Schmidt), France (Valry Giscard d'Estaing), and Britain (Anthony Barber) before an upcoming meeting in Washington, D.C. When running the idea past PresidentNixon, he noted that he would be out of town, and offered use ofthe White House; the meeting was subsequently held in the library on the ground floor.[12]Taking their name from the setting, this original group of four became known as the "Library Group".[13]In mid-1973, at the World Bank-IMF meetings, Shultz proposed the addition of Japan to the original four nations, who agreed.[14]The informal gathering of senior financial officials from the United States, the United Kingdom,West Germany, Japan, and France became known as the "Group of Five."[15]The year that followed was one of the most turbulent of the post World War II era, The heads of state or government of the top ten industrial nations fell due to illness or scandal. There were two elections in the UK, three Chancellors of West Germany, three presidents of France, three Prime Ministers of Japan and Italy, two US Presidents and Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada was forced into an early election. Of the members of the "Group of Five", all were new to the job with the exception of Prime Minister Trudeau.As 1975 dawned, Schmidt and Giscard were now heads of government in their respective countries, and since they both spoke fluent English, it occurred to them that they, British Prime MinisterHarold Wilsonand US PresidentGerald Fordcould get together in an informal retreat and discuss election results and the issues of the day. So, in the late spring, PresidentGiscardinvited theheads of governmentfrom West Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States to a summit inChteau de Rambouillet; the annual meeting of the six leaders was organized under a rotating presidency, forming the Group of Six (G6). The following year, with Wilson out as Prime Minister of Britain,SchmidtandFordfelt an English speaker with more experience was needed, so Canada'sPierre Trudeauwas invited to join the group[16]and the group became the Group of Seven (G7). TheEuropean Unionis represented by thePresident of the European Commissionand the leader of the country that holds thePresidency of the Council of the European Union. ThePresident of the European Commissionhas attended all meetings since first invited by the United Kingdom in 1977[17]and theCouncil Presidentnow also regularly attends.Following1994's G7 summit in Naples, Russian officials held separate meetings with leaders of the G7 after the group's summits. This informal arrangement was dubbed the Political 8 (P8) or, colloquially, the G7+1. At the invitation ofPrime Minister of the United KingdomTony BlairandPresident of the United StatesBill Clinton,[18]PresidentBoris Yeltsinwas invited first as a guest observer, later as a full participant. It was seen as a way to encourage Yeltsin with his capitalist reforms. Russia formally joined the group in 1998, resulting in the Group of Eight, or G8

Food[edit]A major focus of the G8 since 2009 has been the globalsupply of food.[19]At the 2009L'Aquilasummit, the G8's members promised to contribute $20 billion to the issue over three years.[20]Since then, only 22% of the promised funds have been delivered.[21]At the 2012 summit, President Barack Obama plans to ask G8 leaders to adopt a policy that would privatize global food investment.[22]

HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G8" \l "cite_note-23" [23]Crimean crisis and Russian suspension[edit]On March 2, 2014, the remaining non-Russian G8 members, theEuropean Union, and theEuropean Commissionsuspended the planned G8 summit in the Russian city of Sochi and would instead meet as the G7 inBrussels,[24]blaming Russia's role in theCrimean crisis.[25]Following the suspension of the summit, on March 18 the French Minister of Foreign AffairsLaurent Fabiusclaimed that Russia was suspended from the G8; however, the German ChancellorAngela Merkeland French Foreign Ministry spokesman Romain Nadal[26]clarified that Russia would remain a G8 member, and only the meeting would be suspended.While visitingKiev, Ukraine on March 22, Canadian Prime MinisterStephen Harperstated that he supports expelling Russia from the G8 and expects to discuss the potential expulsion with other G7 leaders at an upcoming meeting inThe Hague.[27]On March 24, G7 leaders met formally in The Hague, without Russia being present, and voted to officially suspend Russia's membership in the G8. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov stated earlier that day that the G8 was an informal organization and membership was optional for Russia.[8]Structure and activities[edit]

Leaders of the G8 on 18 June 2013, inLough Erne, Northern Ireland, United KingdomBy design, the G8 deliberately lacks an administrative structure like those for international organizations, such as theUnited Nationsor theWorld Bank. The group does not have a permanent secretariat, or offices for its members.The presidency of the group rotates annually among member countries, with each new term beginning on 1 January of the year. The rotation order is: France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada.[28]The country holding the presidency is responsible for planning and hosting a series of ministerial-level meetings, leading up to a mid-year summit attended by the heads of government. The president of the European Commission participates as an equal in all summit events.[29]The ministerial meetings bring together ministers responsible for various portfolios to discuss issues of mutual or global concern. The range of topics include health, law enforcement, labor, economic and social development, energy, environment, foreign affairs, justice and interior, terrorism, and trade. There are also a separate set of meetings known as theG8+5, created during the 2005Gleneagles, Scotland summit, that is attended by finance and energy ministers from all eight member countries in addition to the five "outreach countries" which are also known as theGroup of FiveBrazil,People's Republic of China,India,Mexico, andSouth Africa.[30]In June 2005, justice ministers and interior ministers from the G8 countries agreed to launch an international database onpedophiles.[31]The G8 officials also agreed to pool data onterrorism, subject to restrictions by privacy and security laws in individual countries.[32]Global energy[edit]Main articles:International Partnership for Energy Efficiency CooperationandClimate Investment Funds

G8 leaders confer during the2009 summitinL'Aquila(Abruzzo, Italy).At theHeiligendamm Summitin 2007, the G8 acknowledged a proposal from the EU for a worldwide initiative onefficient energy use. They agreed to explore, along with theInternational Energy Agency, the most effective means to promote energy efficiency internationally. A year later, on 8 June 2008, the G8 along with China, India, South Korea and theEuropean Communityestablished theInternational Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation, at the Energy Ministerial meeting hosted by Japan holding 2008 G8 Presidency, inAomori.[33]G8 Finance Ministers, whilst in preparation for the34th Summit of the G8 Heads of State and GovernmentinToyako, Hokkaido, met on the 13 and 14 June 2008, inOsaka, Japan. They agreed to the G8 Action Plan for Climate Change to Enhance the Engagement of Private and Public Financial Institutions. In closing, Ministers supported the launch of newClimate Investment Funds(CIFs) by theWorld Bank, which will help existing efforts until a new framework under theUNFCCCis implemented after 2012. The UNFCCC is not on track to meeting any of its stated goals.[34]Annual summit[edit]The annual G8 leaders summit is attended by the heads of government.[35]The member country holding the G8 presidency is responsible for organizing and hosting the year's summit.The serial annual summits can be parsed chronologically in arguably distinct ways, including as the sequence of host countries for the summits has recurred over time, series, etc.[36]Member facts[edit]These G8 countries represent:7 of the 7 top-rankedadvanced economieswith the largestGDPand with the highestnational wealth(United States, Japan, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Canada) last century also known asG7[67]7 of the 15 top-ranked countries with the highest net wealth per capita (United States, France, Japan, UK, Italy, Canada, Germany)8 of 12 top-rankedleading export countries.[68]6 of 10 top-ranked countries with the largestgold reserves(United States, Germany, Italy, France, Russia, Japan).8 of 11 top-ranked economies (bynominal GDP), according to latest (2012 data) International Monetary Fund's statistics.4 countries with anominal GDP per capitaabove US$40,000 (United States, Canada, Germany, France).5 countries with asovereign wealth fund, administered by either a national or a state/provincial government (Russia, United States, France, Canada, Italy).[69]8 of 30 top-ranked nations with large amounts offoreign-exchange reservesin theircentral banks.4 out of 9countries having nuclear weapons(France, Russia, UK, United States).[70]

HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G8" \l "cite_note-71" [71]2 countries that havenuclear weapon sharing programs(Germany, Italy).[72]

HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G8" \l "cite_note-73" [73]7 of the 9 largestnuclear energy producers(United States, France, Japan, Russia, Germany, Canada, UK), although Germany announced in 2011 that it will close all of its nuclear power plants by 2022.[74]Following the2011 Thoku earthquake and tsunami, Japan shut down all of its nuclear reactors.[75]However, in July 2012, Japan restarted two nuclear reactors at thei Nuclear Power Plant. These reactors are the only ones currently in operation at this time.8 of the 15 top donors to theUN budgetfor the 2013 annual fiscal year.4 countries with aHDI index for 2013 of 0.9 and higher(United States, Germany, Japan, Canada).2 countries with thehighest credit ratingfromStandard & Poor's,Fitch, andMoody'sat the same time (Canada and Germany).[76]Current leaders[edit]

CanadaStephen Harper,Prime Minister

FranceFranois Hollande,President

GermanyAngela Merkel,Chancellor

ItalyMatteo Renzi,Prime Minister

JapanShinzo Abe,Prime Minister

United KingdomDavid Cameron,Prime Minister

United StatesBarack Obama,President

European UnionHerman Van Rompuy,President of the European Council

European UnionJean-Claude Juncker,President of the European CommissionSuspended[edit]

RussiaVladimir Putin,President