The meeting of the heads of state and government of the G-7 countries has come to an end in Elmau, Bavaria. What did the deliberations of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, US President Joe Biden and the other participants achieve? The most important resolutions of the summit at a glance.
support for Ukraine
As was to be expected, the G-7 countries Germany, USA, Canada, Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan, along with the EU, used the meeting to send a signal of support and solidarity with Ukraine. The final document says: “We reaffirm our condemnation of Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable war of aggression against Ukraine. We will stand by Ukraine for as long as necessary and provide the necessary financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support for the bold defense of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We stand ready to agree long-term security commitments with interested countries and institutions, as well as Ukraine, to help Ukraine in its self-defense and to secure its free and democratic future.”
Cap on Russian oil and gas prices
As a measure against rising energy prices, the G-7 community is considering capping the price of Russian oil. This could work by the West tying services such as insurance for oil shipments to compliance with the price cap. On the one hand, the upper limit is intended to ensure that Russia no longer benefits from price increases on the energy market. On the other hand, it should contribute to a relaxation on the oil markets worldwide. Something similar is also to be examined with regard to Russian gas. “We reaffirm our commitment to gradually ending our dependence on Russian energy without compromising on our climate and environmental goals,” the states wrote.
$4.5 billion to fight hunger
The fight against global food shortages was also a topic in Elmau. The states drew attention to the role of Russia and promised more money. It says: “To protect people from hunger and malnutrition and to counter Russia’s use of grain as a weapon, we will use the Alliance for Global Food Security to increase global food and nutrient security. To this end, we will additionally Dedicate $4.5 billion, stand by our commitments to keep our food and agricultural markets open, and step up efforts to support Ukraine’s production and exports.”
According to the United Nations, 44 billion euros are needed to fight the looming food crisis. According to the UN, the food situation is particularly critical in Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan and Somalia. Around the world, 345 million people are currently threatened by a hunger crisis. The reasons for this are regional conflicts, the consequences of the climate crisis and the corona pandemic, as well as the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.
Sanctions on Russian gold exports
The G-7 countries want to work to sanction the export of gold from Russia. This is intended to tighten the measures against the government in Moscow. The USA, Great Britain, Canada and Japan in particular supported the export ban on Russian gold at the meeting. The EU states Germany, France and Italy, on the other hand, were cautious because sanctions in the group of 27 member states of the European Union have to be decided unanimously. The details still have to be negotiated.
Climate club and watered down targets
Chancellor Scholz has prevailed with his idea of a climate club. The states declare: “We stand firmly behind the goals of an open and cooperative international climate club and will work together with partners to establish it by the end of 2022. With the aim of promoting urgent, ambitious and inclusive measures to meet 1.5- Align degree paths and accelerate implementation of the Paris Agreement.”
At the same time, however, the G-7 countries softened the Glasgow Declaration. At the climate conference in the Scottish city in November, Germany and other countries agreed not to invest any new public money in fossil energy projects in other countries until the end of 2022. The statement now says exceptions will be allowed in limited circumstances that are “clearly defined by each country”, again in line with the Paris Agreement and the 1.5 degree target. This increases the scope for interpretation for each country in the event of exceptions. Environmentalists fear that this will further open the door for long-term projects in climate-damaging fossil fuels such as gas or coal.
signal to China
In addition to the war in Ukraine and the fight against climate change, the G7 also discussed how to deal with China. It has therefore decided to mobilize as much as 600 billion US dollars worldwide for major infrastructure measures and an improved health infrastructure by 2027. This decision is obviously intended to make it clear that Western democracies no longer want to just stand by and watch Chinese engagement in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Beijing has been trying for years to expand its economic and political influence worldwide through loans and investments worth billions.
The heads of state and government also called on China to respect human rights – and not to undermine the sanctions against Russia. “We continue to call on China to uphold its obligations under international law and to contribute to international security. We remind China of the need to uphold the principle of the UN Charter on the peaceful settlement of disputes and to refrain from threats, coercion, intimidation or the use of force .”
With material from the agencies dpa, Reuters and epd