Group of Seven
The German G7 Presidency is now due to end – Japan will be the next to take over the baton on 1 January 2023. Germany’s year-long G7 Presidency came at a time of global crises. Together, the G7 has been resolute in addressing these crises and achieving progress towards an equitable world.
The G7 leaders met for the summit in the Bavarian Alps: democracy, the rule of law and human rights are the values that unite them as partners.
Photo: Federal Government/Gülland
The year of the German G7 Presidency year was marked by the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The wide-ranging global consequences of this war, in particular its impact on global food and energy security, were among the issues addressed by the G7. It is determined to support Ukraine for as long as necessary.
At the same time, the G7 focused on the motto of the German G7 Presidency – “Progress towards an equitable world” – as well as championing long-term concerns such as environmental and climate protection, economic stability and transformation, strengthening global health and investment worldwide, and supporting democracies and the rules-based international order.
Unprecedented: six meetings in twelve months
The G7 leaders met a total of six times under the German Presidency, with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in virtual attendance on five occasions. “This figure alone demonstrates how closely we have coordinated our efforts this year with partners who share our values,” said Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz. In addition, numerous G7 meetings took place at ministerial level in the various specialist areas. This unprecedented level of coordination has paid off, as the key results of this presidency show:
- The G7 stands firmly by Ukraine’s side – and will do so for as long as necessary. Among other things, the German Presidency coordinated short-term direct budget support from the G7 totalling some 32.7 billion US dollars in 2022. Together with the European Commission, Germany hosted an International Expert Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine in Berlin. Subsequently, the G7 decided to establish a governance platform to coordinate Ukrainian reconstruction internationally.
- The G7 imposed far-reaching sanctions against Russia.
- The G7 established an open and cooperative international Climate Club and drew up the relevant terms of reference. In addition, the G7 adopted a global shield against climate risks together with the Vulnerable 20.
- At the G7 Summit, the G7 launched the Alliance for Global Food Security and mobilised an additional 4.5 billion US dollars to combat the global hunger crisis.
- Together with the G7 Summit partner countries, the G7 demonstrated its commitment to defending democratic principles, human rights and resilient democratic societies, also stating that it will join forces to tackle global challenges.
The highlight of the 2022 G7 Presidency was the summit meeting of G7 leaders. It took place in June at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps. Argentina, India, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa were invited to attend the G7 Summit as partner countries.
Germany made the most of its presidency
“We will make the most of our G7 Presidency to ensure this group of states takes on a pioneering role – in pursuing climate-neutrality and an equitable world.” This was what Federal Chancellor Scholz said one year ago. Looking back, there is no question that Germany indeed made the most of its presidency, driving forward answers to the most pressing challenges in close alliance with its G7 partners.
At a time when the world is threatened by divisions and upheavals, the G7 has moved even closer together as a functioning community of shared values. This is something Scholz firmly believes to be true. “Democracy, the rule of law and human rights are the values that unite us as partners.” And these values carry more weight than ever before – in the fight for an equitable world, both within the G7 and far beyond it.
Throughout the course of the year, the German G7 Presidency also coordinated closely with the Indonesian G20 Presidency. Cooperation in the context of the G20 has been extremely difficult ever since the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine began in February 2022. After very intense negotiations, the final agreement on a joint communique at the G20 Summit in Bali on 15-16 November 2022 was a major achievement for multilateralism.
It was not least due to close coordination of the G7 with G20 partners that the vast majority of G20 members unambiguously condemned the Russian war of aggression, and that the G20 also stated unanimously that the threat or use of nuclear weapons was inadmissible. The close involvement of Argentina, India, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa as partner countries of the German G7 Presidency 2022 and their invitation to the G7 Summit in Elmau was a vital contributing factor to the G20 agreement.
01 January 2022: Germany assumed the G7 Presidency – a responsible task in challenging times. The Group of Seven (G7) is an informal forum of leading industrialised nations and democracies. In addition to Germany, it also includes France, the UK, Italy, Japan, Canada and the USA. The European Union is also represented at all G7 meetings.
24 February 2022: Russia attacked Ukraine. The G7 leaders met for a video conference. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the attack as a “blatant breach of international law” and spoke of a dark day for Europe. He assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of Germany’s full solidarity with Ukraine and its people.
From this point onwards, the war in Ukraine was a defining factor of Germany’s G7 Presidency. The G7 still remained committed to their other tasks, however: as leading industrialised countries and partners who share key values, the G7 members have a particular responsibility to promote the welfare of the global community. Germany sought to strengthen this responsibility. “Progress towards an equitable world”– this goal was to guide the work of the G7.
24 March 2022: The G7 met in Brussels under the German Presidency to talk about the war in Ukraine again. “Our discussions have shown that we are more united than ever in this challenging situation, and we are also prepared to take joint and decisive action.” He also referred to the rigorous, closely coordinated and targeted sanctions imposed on Russia.
26 to 28 June 2022: Federal Chancellor Scholz received the G7 leaders for the summit at Schloss Elmau. He first met US President Joe Biden for bilateral talks. The two leaders were unanimous in their assessment: “Germany and the USA will always act together when it comes to questions of Ukraine’s security,” said the Federal Chancellor.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the G7 consultations via video link. One of the key issues discussed at Elmau was ongoing support for Ukraine. “As we have reaffirmed, all of us will continue to support Ukraine in its defence against Russia,” emphasised Federal Chancellor Scholz, adding that the war marked a “radical turning point in international relations”.
The meeting in the Bavarian Alps provided opportunities for wide-ranging discussions. Here, Federal Chancellor Scholz can be seen consulting with then Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, French President Emmanuel Macron and the UK Prime Minister at the time, Boris Johnson. The Federal Chancellor emphasised that the G7 states worked together as close friends and allies.
At the summit, G7 leaders also met with partner countries and international organisations. After all, a strong, rules-based international order cannot be achieved without solidarity and cooperation among the world’s democracies – both within the G7 and beyond.
The deliberations in Elmau also addressed issues relating to the world economy, global infrastructure, the fight against world hunger and climate protection.
26 to 28 June 2022: The deliberations in Elmau also addressed issues relating to the world economy, global infrastructure, the fight against world hunger and climate protection. “The meeting was an impressive demonstration of our unity and our determination,” said Federal Chancellor Scholz.
The summit meeting of the heads of state and government is considered the highlight of every G7 Presidency. The G7 process involves much more than this, however: in fact it is a year-round operation in which the G7 ministers have a key role to play. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock met her counterparts in Münster, Westphalia.
Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser also met with her G7 colleagues. They gathered in Eltville, Hesse, to discuss hybrid threats and misinformation, also in connection with the war in Ukraine. “We will counter these lies with facts,” said Faeser.
Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner hosted meetings of the G7 Finance Ministers in Bonn and Königswinter. They talked about how to secure economic stability as well as discussing debt management in developing countries and the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. They also promised further billions in aid to Ukraine. “The outcome of the war must not be decided by concerns about funding the state,” said Lindner.
An integral part of every G7 Presidency is to engage in dialogue with a range of different interest groups – the Engagement Groups. There are currently seven groups which once again took a stand on G7 agenda issues this year, providing their own impetus to the discussions: Business Community (Business7), Non-Governmental Organisations (Civil7), Trade Unions (Labour7), Science (Science7), Think-Tanks (Think7), Women (Women7), Youth (Youth7).
25 October 2022: The reconstruction of Ukraine was discussed at an international expert conference in Berlin hosted by the German G7 Presidency and the EU Commission. “Ukraine cannot manage this alone. The European Union cannot manage it alone either. It can only be achieved by the entire global community, which is now lending its support to Ukraine,” stressed Federal Chancellor Scholz.
At the reconstruction conference, Federal Chancellor Scholz and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged long-term assistance to Ukraine: “One should be careful about making historical comparisons, but this amounts to no less than the creation of a new Marshall Plan for the 21st century. It is a task that will take generations and must begin now.”
12 December 2022: The G7 leaders reiterated their solidarity with Ukraine in a video link-up, as well as officially launching the Climate Club agreed on at Elmau. This was the sixth and last meeting before Germany hands over the G7 Presidency to Japan. “This figure alone demonstrates how closely we have coordinated our efforts this year with partners who share our values,” said the Federal Chancellor.
The German G7 Presidency ends with the handover to Japan on 1 January 2023. As such, the official G7 website of the Federal Government will not be updated further. For new articles on the G7 and G20, see our dedicated topic page “International cooperation – G7/G20”.