The G8 Summit in L'Aquila: top priorities on the agenda
Alongside their negotiations in the classic G8 format on the first day, the G8 heads of state and government took advantage of the L'Aquila summit to engage in deliberations in a variety of other formats. These included the Heiligendamm-L'Aquila Process, which also involves the G5 heads of state and government, as well as the Major Economies Forum, which includes Australia, South Korea and Indonesia. Detailed talks on development policy issues were also held with African heads of state and government.
The deliberations between the heads of state and government attending the summit focused on the following key issues:
The global economy
Against the backdrop of the global economic and financial crisis, the summit's economic discussions focused on the various impacts that the crisis is having as well as possible ways to put the global economy back on track toward sustainable growth. In their talks, the G8 - together with the G5 and four other countries - worked to give a boost to global trade by declaring their support for a quick conclusion to the Doha Round of world trade talks. They also declared their support for open markets and their opposition to all forms of protectionism. Furthermore, they addressed the issue of rising government deficits by highlighting the need for states to achieve long-term fiscal stability (through the formulation of exit strategies). Social and employment policy were also emphasised as key priorities within a new global framework. The summit declaration also states that the crisis presents an opportunity to set the global economy on a path toward sustainable and resilient growth ("green growth").
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