The Group of Seven (G7) was an unofficial forum which brought together the heads of the richest industrialized countries: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada (since 1976),[3] and the President of the European Commission (starting officially in 1981).[4] The summits were not meant to be linked formally with wider international institutions; and in fact, a mild rebellion against the stiff formality of other international meetings was a part of the genesis of cooperation between France's president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and West Germany's chancellor Helmut Schmidt as they conceived the first Group of Six (G6) summit in 1975.[5]
Leaders at the summit
Leaders of the G7 posing for photographs in Tokyo, 9 July 1993
The G7 is an unofficial annual forum for the leaders of Canada, the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.[4]
The summit was intended as a venue for resolving differences among its members. As a practical matter, the summit was also conceived as an opportunity for its members to give each other mutual encouragement in the face of difficult economic decisions.[5] Issues which were discussed at this summit included:
World Economy
Trade
The Environment
Russia and Other Countries in Transition
The Developing Countries
International Cooperation and Future Summits
Accomplishments
In 1993, the summit leaders called for an "international agreement" to "protect forests," but there is little evidence of follow-up action.[8]
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