G8 summit in L'Aquila with economy and climate change as main topics
Alongside with the leaders of Sweden as holder of the EU Council presidency, the four European Union G8 members (France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom) as well as the United States, Russia, Canada, and Japan, President Barroso will represent the Commission as full member of the G8 summit for the fifth time
Barroso will push for a coordinated international response to common challenges related to the economic and financial crisis, trade, climate change, development/Africa and food security.
The provisional programme of the summit comprises at this stage a meeting of the G8 leaders on the first day. The second day will see a meeting of the G8 + G5 leaders (Brazil, China, India, Mexico, South Africa) and Egypt, followed by the Junior 8 meeting as well as the Major Economies Forum (G8 + their counterparts from Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Republic of Korea and South Africa).
The third and last day will bring together the G8 with African leaders from Algeria, Nigeria, Senegal, Egypt, South Africa and Ethiopia as well as Libya as holder of the presidency of the African Union and Angola.
The United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, International Energy Agency, the International Labour Organisation, the World Trade Organisation, the African Union, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the World Food Programme will also attend some of the meetings.
Background
The summit takes place at a time where multiple global challenges require more than ever the commitment and determination of G8 leaders and their partners to promote coordinated international action. A series of events, like the G20 process, initiated last year by the EU, and the ongoing UN climate change negotiations have been helping to shape this response. The G8 summit therefore is a crucial occasion to provide political impetus in finding and implementing solutions and to ensure a link with the other ongoing processes.