Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

From Russia to Brexit: the key issues at the G7 summit

From Russia to Brexit: the key issues at the G7 summit

The top items on the leaders’ agenda for this week’s gathering at Cornwall, and some possible outcomes

World leaders are gathering for the G7 summit in Cornwall this week. Here we look at the key themes that will dominate their meeting and what might constitute a successful outcome from discussions:

Russia – and threats to democracy


One of Joe Biden’s key aims is a show of western solidarity before his forthcoming meeting with Vladimir Putin in Geneva. The US president wrote in the Washington Post that he was aiming to “rally the world’s democracies” and perform a major reset of foreign policy after the unpredictability of his predecessor Donald Trump, who wavered on commitment to Nato and flirted with autocrats including the Russian leader.

G7 foreign ministers, after meeting last month to prepare the ground, said they were “deeply concerned” about “the negative pattern of Russia’s irresponsible and destabilising behaviour”. After landing in the UK on Wednesday night, Biden told US troops at an airbase in Suffolk: “We are going to make it clear that the US is back and democracies of the world are standing together to tackle the toughest challenges and the issues that matter most to our future.”

China


Key critics of the G7 often bring up China’s absence as a reason why the coterie of world leaders is diminishing in influence. Yet the superpower will be a major subject on the agenda, shown by the invitation to Australia, South Korea and India to attend as guests. Beijing’s reach and influence is a key issue for them. Biden’s agenda is to persuade European nations to take the threat of China’s sway on democracies more seriously, as Chinese investment in infrastructure and businesses pours into Europe.

Boris Johnson, whose recent defence and security review promised a renewed “Indo-Pacific tilt”, is also keen to find ways of cooperating to dilute Beijing’s influence.

Vaccines


Johnson has announced that he would like to see the entire world vaccinated by the end of 2022, but offered scant detail about how the UK would like that to happen. With most G7 countries now well on the way to fully vaccinating their adult populations, and the UK itself having secured millions of excess doses, the world is looking to the G7 for a detailed, funded plan.

More than 200 former world leaders and foreign ministers including two former UK prime ministers, Gordon Brown and Tony Blair, wrote to G7 leaders earlier this week, urging them to agree to meet two-thirds of the £46.6bn cost of expanding vaccinations throughout low-income countries. An agreement to do so would be a tangible legacy from the Cornwall summit.

Tax


In what many saw as a hopeful sign of the return of multilateralism, G7 finance ministers signed a historic agreement in London last week, laying the groundwork for a tougher global tax regime. The new system is aimed at allowing governments to levy tax on the most profitable firms wherever they earn revenue, instead of allowing multinationals to play one jurisdiction off against another; and it sets a minimum rate of 15%.

Campaigners say the 15% rate is too low – Biden had proposed 21%. There are also concerns about how the resulting revenue would be divided between the G7 and developing countries, and how long it might take to implement. The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, is also reportedly already seeking an exemption from the new regime for City firms. But G7 leaders are nevertheless likely to hail the agreement as the start of a new era of cooperation.

Aid and girls’ education


Ever since he was foreign secretary, Johnson has highlighted the importance of girls’ education, calling it a “Swiss army knife” that helps to solve a range of other development issues. It will feature this weekend too, but anti-poverty campaigners accuse the prime minister of hypocrisy, given his recent controversial decision to ditch – temporarily, the government insists – the target of spending 0.7% of national income on aid.

Labour has said it would like to see Johnson restate his commitment to the 0.7% target – but that appears highly unlikely. Instead the UK may press other nations to pledge to help boost girls’ schooling.

Climate


Discussions on the climate emergency will be more straightforward than in recent years for one, very basic reason: no Trump. One of Biden’s very first acts as president was to rejoin the Paris climate agreement, and Cornwall will not be dominated by the almost impossible earlier conundrum of achieving concrete results without alienating Trump’s administration.

“Easier than Trump” is, however, a low bar, and while climate action is billed as one of the central thrusts of this G7 summit, the danger is that with issues such as Covid, vaccines and corporation tax dominating, the only outcome is yet more bland words on an end-of-summit communique.

There are several climate-based protests planned to coincide with the summit, aimed at focusing the minds of leaders, but almost certainly kept at such a distance from the event that they can and will be ignored.

Nonetheless, for Johnson the stakes are relatively high, if largely in the medium term. The crucial Cop26 climate summit is being held in Glasgow in November, and the prime minister will want to build up a head of global policy steam moving towards this. As such, he will be under pressure to emerge from this weekend with something definite and agreed in policy terms, not just yet another restatement of the need to do something.

Brexit


Johnson doesn’t want Brexit to be anywhere near the G7. In a recent profile for Atlantic magazine the prime minister insisted: “We’ve sucked that lemon dry.” But the Brexit minister, Lord Frost, will now travel to Cornwall, in a sign that No 10 has conceded it will be impossible to avoid the issue.

On Wednesday Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan reiterated the president’s “deep” concerns about the simmering row over the implementation of the Northern Ireland protocol, warning about the risks of imperilling the peace process. Johnson is likely to come under intense pressure to make concessions, but he gave the pugnacious Frost his staunch backing on Wednesday, jokingly calling him “the greatest Frost since the Great Frost of 1709”.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
×