Budapest Business Journal- Leaders from the world’s top industrialized nations meet in the Baltic coastal resort of Heiligendamm next month to discuss the fight against climate change, increased aid to Africa and global financial stability.
But forget the gentle fireside chats favored by rich country leaders in the 1970s. The Group of Eight (G8) meeting on June 6-8 looks set to be marked by acrimonious exchanges between participants – and an equally fierce showdown between anti-globalization protesters and security forces deployed around the heavily-fortified summit venue. G8 members include Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, the United States, Canada and Russia.
The European Commission is also represented at all meetings. Certainly, the agenda drawn up by summit chair German Chancellor Angela Merkel is impressive. In addition to global warming, she also wants to talk about innovation, good governance, AIDS and sustainable development. Repeating a relatively new G8 tradition, parts of the meeting will be attended by the leaders of emerging economic powerhouses China, India, South Africa, Mexico and Brazil. The presidents of Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa will also attend.
