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Thursday, December 10, 2009

G8

The Group of Eight (G8, and formerly the G6 or Group of Six and also the G7 or Group of Seven) is a forum, created by France in 1975, for governments of the six richest countries in the world: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In 1976, Canada joined the group (thus creating the G7). In becoming the G8, the group added Russia in 1997.

In addition, the European Union is represented within the G8, but cannot host or chair.

Each calendar year, the responsibility of hosting the G8 rotates through the member states in the following order: France, United States, United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada.


Lately, both France and the United Kingdom have expressed a desire to expand the group to include five developing countries, referred to as the Outreach Five (O5) or the Plus Five: Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and South Africa. These countries have participated as guests in previous meetings, which are sometimes called G8+5.


Group of Eight Map of G8 member nations and the European Union


 Canada
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
 France
President Nicolas Sarkozy
 Germany
Chancellor Angela Merkel
 Italy
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi President of the G8 for 2009
 Japan
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama
 Russia
President Dmitry Medvedev
 United Kingdom
Prime Minister Gordon Brown
 United States
President Barack Obama
Also represented
 European Union
Commission President José Manuel Barroso
European Council President Fredrik Reinfeldt
 
 

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