EXECUTIVE COMMITMENTS

AT THE G7 SUMMIT

The war and the reconstruction of Ukraine

Summit participants were keen to show a united face against Moscow. The G7, joined by five emerging countries, including India, condemned the "illegal" invasion of Ukraine by Russia. The allies notably promised to provide financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support and to remain at Ukraine's side "as long as necessary". The financial aid released for this country in 2022 now reaches 29.5 billion dollars. kyiv should also receive new armaments, in particular sophisticated American anti-aircraft missiles.

To further dry up Russia's revenue, G7 leaders will begin work to put in place a Russian oil cap mechanism to hit a major Moscow revenue stream, a senior White House official has said. . The G7 also plans to impose a ban on the import of Russian gold. To control the price of the black gold sold by Russia, the seven countries "are considering a series of approaches", including "a possible ban on all services that allow the maritime transport of Russian crude oil and petroleum products". , unless the oil is purchased below the ceiling that would be set.

The seven powers, at the end of their meeting, say they are "resolved to support the reconstruction of Ukraine through an international conference and reconstruction plan".

China

Leaders in Germany have denounced Beijing's "non-transparent and market-distorting" international trade practices. They therefore wish to free themselves from dependence on China, by “promoting diversification and resistance to economic coercion” and by “reducing strategic dependencies”. G7 members also raised concerns about human rights abuses in China, urging it to respect fundamental freedoms. They stressed that the situation in Tibet and Xinjiang, where "forced labor" is rampant, is of "great concern" to them.

The final statement also urges China to "fulfil its commitments" under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, guaranteeing Hong Kong certain freedoms and autonomy for 50 years under the "One country, two systems" model.

Alleviating the food crisis

The G7 pledged an additional $4.5 billion to alleviate the global food crisis, bringing total joint commitments to $14 billion for the year. The seven powers also called on countries and companies with large food stocks to assume their responsibilities to alleviate the food crisis triggered by the conflict in Ukraine. They also urge "all countries to avoid excessive storage of food, which can lead to further price increases". In addition, she also reiterated her "urgent call on Russia to end, unconditionally, the blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports, the destruction of essential port and transport infrastructure, silos and grain terminals , to the illegal appropriation by Russia of agricultural products and equipment in Ukraine and to all other activities that hinder the production and export of production and Ukrainian exports of foodstuffs”. Russia, for its part, denies having blocked the passage of cargo ships and accuses Western sanctions of contributing to the food crisis.

Climate commitments

The G7 countries have agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fight against global warming. But their ambitions, which come up against fears of energy shortages, have disappointed conservationists. The powers, which must in the short term do without Russian gas, are under pressure to meet their climate commitments.

In their final declaration, the Heads of State or Government certainly reaffirmed "their unwavering commitment" to the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to 1.5° above the pre-industrial era and their objective to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. They also underlined the "increased urgency to act" to reduce global greenhouse gas at 2019 levels. The G7 has also committed to a “highly decarbonized road sector by 2030”.

The summit also agreed to create a "Climate Club" made up of volunteer countries to coordinate and accelerate efforts to combat global warming. But critical voices pointed out after the summit that the idea remained vague and risked becoming "just another club", according to Martin Kaiser, the executive director of Greenpeace in Germany.

Energy

Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, Prime Italian Minister Mario Draghi and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have pledged to end, by the end of 2022, all new direct public support for the untapped international fossil fuel energy sector. However, in the face of the rush for alternative energy sources to emancipate themselves from Russian fossil fuels, the G7 agreed that public investments could be made in the gas sector "as an interim response".

By announcing these commitments, although the G7 no longer represents the seven largest economic powers, Joe Biden is trying to give this group a more political turn, that of the fight of democracies against autocracies...