The annual G8 summit starts today at the Lough Erne Resort, in Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.
Here’s a brief summary of this year’s agenda.
The infographics below are courtesy of the G8 UK Presidency, you can visit their Flickr account clicking the pictures.
The free trade agreement between the EU and the US is on the EU’s table for some time now, and the UK Presidency also declared trade advancement one of the most pressing issues. What makes this discussion interesting is the UK’s possible estarngement from the EU. President Obama already said that in the case of the UK leaving the EU, the US will not negotiate a separate agreement with them. Also, France opposed the agreement, as they would exclude certain intellectual properties from iits effect. This is going to be an interesting discussion.
The other two issues particularly stressed by Prime Minister David Cameron are tax compliance and greater transparency. Launching and/or strenghtening international standards in both issues would be key in getting to the roots of global financial dfifficulties.
The crisis in Syria as a whole is of course on the table, and according to well informed sources President Obama is about to discuss the type of aid to rebels with the leaders of UK and France. Discussions about Syria are also said to be dominating the planned bilateral talks between Russia and the USA, as it was a major topic between Russia and the UK.
According to reports the preparatory meetings of the summit also covered the following issues: international trade, development and democratization in the Middle East and North Africa, sexual violence in conflict, dementia research, Somali reconstruction, and collaborative approaches to food security that bring together governments, civil society, and the private sector.
