37th G8 summit

The 37th G8 summit was held 26–27 May 2011 in the commune of Deauville in France.Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA),  "G8 Summit 2011 in Deauville"; retrieved 2012-5-21.

History
The Deauville summit of the Group of Eight (G8) was the 37th meeting in a series which began in 1976.  

Previous G8 summits have been hosted by France at Rambouillet (1975); Versailles (1982); Paris (1989); Lyon (1996);  and Évian-les-Bains (2003).G20/G8 France 2011,  What is G8? ("Previous summits" section) ; retrieved 2012-5-21

The G8 and the summit are part of a consultation process.  The G8 is not an international organization.G20-G8 France 2011,  What is G8? ("Language" section) ; retrieved 2012-5-21. It is an informal group.US Dept. of State,  G8 Frequently Asked Questions ("How does the G8 work?" section); retrieved 2012-5-21.

 Participants 

These summit participants were the current "core members" of the G8:Rieffel, Lex.   "Regional Voices in Global Governance: Looking to 2010 (Part IV),"  Brookings (US). 27 March 2009; retrieved 13 February 2011

Core G8 membersHost nation and leader are indicated in bold text. Member Represented by Title  Canada Stephen Harper"G8 highlights euro debt risk to world economy," Independent (UK). May 26, 2011; retrieved 2011-05-26. Prime Minister  France Nicolas SarkozyWintour, Patrick.  "G8 summit: UK offers Egypt and Tunisia £110m to Boost Democracy,: Guardian (UK). 26 May 2011; retrieved 2011-05-26. President  Germany Angela MerkelBrost, Marc and Jörg Lau.  "Ab in die Ecke," Die Zeit (Germany). 26 Mai 2011; retrieved 2011-05-26 Chancellor  Italy Silvio Berlusconi "Deauville, Berlusconi a Obama: da noi dittatura dei giudici di sinistra," Corriere della Sera (Italy).  27 May 2011; retrieved 2011-05-27 Prime Minister  Japan  Naoto  Kan Prime Minister  Russia Dmitry Medvedev President  United Kingdom David Cameron Prime Minister  United States Barack Obama President  European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso President European Council Herman Van RompuyTang Danlu.  "EU leaders meet press before G8 summit," Xinhua (PRC). 27 May 2011; retrieved 2011-05-27 President

 Invited leaders 
Other national leaders are traditionally invited to attend the summit.  They participate in some, but not all, G8 summit activities.  African leaders who came to Deauville included: 
  Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President "AU demands end to NATO Libya strikes,"  Agence France Presse (AFP), 26 May 2011; retrieved 2011-05-26
  Essam Sharaf, Prime Minister
  Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister
  Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, PresidentBejot, Jean-Pierre.  "Les bons élèves de la « démocratie » africaine invités au bord de la mer par Nicolas Sarkozy," La Dépêche Diplomatique Afrique (Senegal). 25 May 2011; retrieved 2011-05-27
  Abdoulaye Wade, President 
  Jacob Zuma, President
  Beji Caid el Sebsi, Prime Minister

Also invited were:
 Arab League Amr Moussa, ChairmanMacCormaic, Ruadhán.  "G8 summit set to approve aid package for Tunisia and Egypt," Irish Times (Eire). 26 May 2011; retrieved 2011-05-27
 African Union (AU) Jean Ping, Chairman
 New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)
 United Nations Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-GeneralBabalola, Jide.  "Ki-Moon in Nigeria to push health campaign,"  The Nation (Nigeria). 23 May 2011; 2011-05-27

 Schedule and Agenda 

Traditionally, the host country of the G8 summit sets the agenda. French general priorities included peace and security.G20/G8 France 2011,  "The priorities of the French Presidency" 

Discussions included some issues which remained unresolved from previous summits.Kaur, Hardev. "G20 leaders must deliver on their promises," The New Straits Times (Malaysia). 20 February 2009.  

Some of the specific topics on the agenda were: 
 Afghanistan;G20/G8 France 2011,   Afghanistan ; retrieved 13 February 2011 
 G8 + Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA);Karabell, Zachary.  "On the Heels of Revolution, Economic Realities Arrive," New York Times (US). May 25, 2011; G20/G8 France 2011,   "G8 + BMENA" ; retrieved 13 February 2011
 The Internet: new challengesG20/G8 France 2011,   Internet challenges ; retrieved 13 February 2011
 Non-proliferation of Weapons of Mass DestructionG20/G8 France 2011,  Non-proliferation/WMDs; retrieved 13 February 2011
 The G8's Partnership with AfricaG20/G8 France 2011,   G8 + Partnership with Africa; retrieved 13 February 2011
 Transatlantic Cocaine TraffickingG20/G8 France 2011,   Cocaine trafficking ; retrieved 13 February 2011
 Counter-terrorismG20/G8 France 2011,   Counter-terrorism ; retrieved 13 February 2011
 G8 political and security issuesG20/G8 France 2011,  Political and security issues ; retrieved 13 February 2011 

World events caused the list of topics to grow, including 
 Fukushima nuclear accidentJessop-Kolesnikov, Sonia.  "As G-8 Meets, Asian Leaders Seek a Bigger Role," New York Times (US). May 25, 2011; retrieved 2011-05-26. 
 European debt crisisErlanger, Steven and Liz Alderman.  "Euro Crisis Looms for Group of 8," New York Times (US). May 25, 2011; retrieved 2011-05-26. 
 Selection of a new managing director for the International Monetary FundMacCormaic, Ruadhán.  "G8 summit set to approve aid package for Tunisia and Egypt," Irish Times

Protesters and demonstrations 

Protest groups and others organized public events. Crispian Balmer and Kevin Liffey.   "Q+A: Election defeat poses problems for Sarkozy," Reuters (UK). 21 March 2010; retrieved 13 February 2011 In these demonstrations, the slogan G8 dégage ("G8 Go Away") was notable.Haddadi, Anissa.  "Obama in Deauville tomorrow: Farewell to the UK and Hello anti G8 Protesters,"  International Business Times (UK). 25 May 2011; retrieved 2011-05-27

The demonstrators are widely understood to be against globalisation.

 Business opportunity 
According to the Mayor of Deauville, "Our main interest is the economic implications."Schuetze, "A French Town"; retrieved 2011-05-26

For some, the G8 summit became a profit-generating event. For example, the G8 Summit magazines have been published under the auspices of the host nations for distribution to all attendees since 1998. Prestige Media:   "official" G8 Summit magazine ; retrieved 13 February 2011

Related pages
 List of G8 summits

 References 

Other websites

 University of Toronto: G8 Information Centre 
 G20-G8 France 2011 , official website
 Parliament.uk, Graphic shows G8 in context 

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Category:2011 in Europe
Category:2010s in France