What does the Group of Seven (G7), founded in 1975 under the leadership of Valérie Giscard d'Estaing and
what to expect? One observation is necessary beforehand: the United States of America, Canada, Japan,
Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and France, countries that have certainly been united for 44 years by "the same values" (the democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, the free market, respect for
international law), as Emmanuel Macron stressed yesterday in Biarritz, are no longer the whole world.
Missing are China, which is on the verge of becoming the world's largest economy, but also Russia
(it joined the G7 which became the G8 in 1997 and was expelled in 2014 due to the annexation of Crimea)
and a number of so-called emerging countries. India, Brazil, Australia, South Africa and others. Nineteen to
total, which shake up the established order of the post-World War II era.
The new world they are helping to forge is reflected in the G20, whose impact has been measured in
in the aftermath of the financial crisis. In any case, two figures make it possible to identify this difference: when the
G7 represents 45% of global wealth, the G20 accounts for 85% of this wealth.
The G7 is in fact an informal consultation forum, with no established legal structure or secretariat
permanent, whose primary mission is to allow its members to meet once a year during
working sessions. In the early years, economic and financial policy was discussed.
Other aspects have been added, particularly related to security and terrorism, peace in the
world, as well as health and education. Then the France introduced climate change into the
field of concerns.
What do we owe to the G7? To have worked towards the creation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, or the Deauville Partnership as a result
of the Arab Spring. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, or the >< Muskoka program to reduce maternal and infant mortality, are other examples. In Biarritz,
Emmanuel Macron intends to defend French positions on the climate and rising inequality. All in
being diplomatic. The world needs it.