The 45th G7 summit was held on 24–26 August 2019, in Biarritz, France. In March 2014, the G7 declared that a meaningful discussion was currently not possible with Russia in the context of the G8. Since then, meetings have continued within the G7 process. However, according to a senior administration official, Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron had agreed that Russia should be invited to the next G7 Summit to be held in 2020.
Concluding communique
Five points were agreed at the issue of the summit, about:
the "G7 commits to reaching an agreement in 2020 to simplify regulatory barriers and modernize international taxation within the framework of the OECD"
the G7 shares objectives on Iran: "to ensure that Iran never acquires nuclear weapons and to foster peace and stability in the region."
on Libya: "We support a truce in Libya that will lead to a long-term ceasefire. We believe that only a political solution can ensure Libya’s stability. We call for a well-prepared international conference to bring together all the stakeholders and regional actors relevant to this conflict. We support in this regard the work of the United Nations and the African Union to set up an inter-Libyan conference."
in an opaque reference to the Russian military intervention in Ukraine, "France and Germany will organize a Normandy format summit in the coming weeks to achieve tangible results."
In the final press conference, UK Prime Minister Johnson said "Iran should never be allowed to get a nuclear weapon", and US President Trump spoke about Iran in a joint news conference with French President Macron. Whereas the European powers sought to appease Iran, Trump said in apparent reference to combative rhetoric by the Iranian government about its ability to attack US interests:
Host
France, as the host of the 2019 G7 summit, held it at the Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz.
The following leaders were invited to the Outreach Session of the G7 Summit.
Heads of international organisations
Participation
The Prime Ministers of Italy and Spain, Conte and Sanchez, are taking part in the summit as caretaker Prime Ministers. Jean-Claude Juncker of the European Commission did not attend due to bad health. In a surprise move, Emmanuel Macron invited to attend on the margins Javad Zarif, who flew in on an Iranian government plane. Macron, who "attempted a high-risk diplomatic gambit", thought that the Foreign Minister of Iran might be able to defuse the tense situation over the Iranian nuclear programme in spite of the recent uptick in tensions between the Islamic Republic and the United States and Britain. A highly-placed French political source said that
Topics
Topics discussed included global trade, global warming, and taxing technology companies. European Council President Donald Tusk said leaders at the summit should discuss the Iran nuclear deal, which was at risk due to the U.S. government's decision to pull out. On August 23, President Emmanuel Macron urged the G7 to lead the summit discussions with the 2019 Amazon wildfires, which he described as an "international crisis". He said, "Our house is burning. Literally.", adding that the Amazon rainforest produces 20% of the world's oxygen. U.S. President Donald Trump offered to take the position of the Brazilian government to the meeting, and said that the U.S. government did not agree to discuss the issue without Brazil's presence. The United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Spain and Chile also support Brazil. During the meeting, it was reported that there were "sharp differences" among the participants.
Protests and counter-summit
More than 13000 policemen are required for security. The French government wishes to avoid anti-globalization movements. The protesters of the Summit had several motivations, such as anti extractivism and anti-globalization. Protesters included human rights groups and climate change activists. A number of small French and Basque organizations joined to organize a "Contre G7" summit, over the same days as the G7, in the south of the French Basque country.
