G8 summit in Évian-les-Bains 2003
The 2003 G8 summit in Évian-les-Bains , France was the 29th meeting of the heads of government of the Group of Eight . The meeting took place on June 1-3, 2003, chaired by French President Jacques Chirac .
Attendees
Heads of State or Government of the G7 and representatives of the European Union
Invited heads of state or government
-
Algeria
-
Brazil
-
China
-
Egypt
-
Greece
-
India
-
Malaysia
-
Mexico
-
Nigeria
-
Saudi Arabia
-
Senegal
-
South Africa
-
Switzerland
Invited international organizations
agenda
Strengthening growth worldwide
In order to strengthen global growth, the participants spoke out in favor of sound macroeconomic policies , liberalization of world trade and the fight against corruption . In the final declaration, the summit participants emphasized that "significant downside risks" for the global economy have decreased and that the prerequisites for an economic upswing are in place. The G8 countries said they would continue their efforts to promote the growth of their economies. Structural reforms in the capital, labor and product markets were also discussed in this context. Federal Chancellor Schröder expressed his expectation that the economic situation in Germany would pick up in the second half of the year. In connection with the weakness of his national currency, US President Bush announced that his country would stick to the goal of a strong dollar. The statement was received with skepticism.
The heads of government of the G8 countries agreed to want to prevent future financial crises through increased transparency.
Strengthening sustainable development
Sustainable development topics included Africa , hunger, water, health, development finance , debt relief , science and technology for sustainable development, marine environment and tanker safety and nuclear safety. The heads of state and government confirmed that they would continue to adhere to the aid policy for Africa and the debt relief initiative for the poorest countries on earth (HIPC). The G8 also agreed on a further improvement in education and health in Africa.
Improvement of the security situation
To improve the security situation, the participants signed a joint declaration on weapons of mass destruction in order to prevent the uncontrolled proliferation of nuclear, biological or chemical weapons. It also addressed the fight against terrorism , better control of portable anti-aircraft missiles and a global partnership in the disarmament of nuclear weapons.
Regional questions
The agenda of the 29th summit included the war in Iraq, the nuclear program and humanitarian problems in North Korea , the fight against drugs in Afghanistan and human rights violations in Zimbabwe . As the goal of future Iraq policy, the G8 states declared that Iraq would become an "independent, stable and democratic" state. The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians as well as the situation in Algeria and Iran were also discussed .
Protests
5,000 soldiers were deployed in Switzerland to secure the summit. 20,000 security guards were deployed in France and 10,000 in Switzerland. 1,050 German officials were also on duty in Switzerland. During the summit protests took place in Geneva , Lausanne and Annemasse, France, with thousands of participants. There were riots in all three cities. In Lausanne, demonstrators attacked a hotel where summit participants were staying and looted a gas station and a supermarket. The police used tear gas and rubber bullets. Martin Shaw was seriously injured in a traffic blockade when a police officer cut the rope Shaw and Gesine Wenzel used to block the Aubonne Bridge. Both were convicted of obstructing public transport. In Annemasse, police used tear gas to stop demonstrators from breaking through the security corridor to Evian. 20–30 police officers stormed the Usine , the indymedia center and the Geneva03 radio / TV studio in Geneva, masked and in civilian clothes. They held the people there for about two hours, after which they were taken into custody. German police officers were also on duty during the summit in Switzerland. During the protests, journalist Guy Smallman was seriously injured in his left leg by a police shock grenade.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Delegations at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains 2003 (University of Toronto)
- ↑ a b c Schröder expects the economy to recover. faz.net, June 3, 2003, accessed September 22, 2015 .
- ↑ Schröder satisfied with G-8 meeting. "Dispute over Iraq policy overcome". handelsblatt.com, June 3, 2003, accessed September 22, 2015 .
- ↑ A currency shows muscles. welt.de, June 4, 2004, accessed on September 22, 2015 .
- ↑ a b Full text: the G8 final statement. theguardian.com, June 3, 2003, accessed September 22, 2015 .
- ↑ a b Documentation from the Ministry of Economics and Labor ( memento of the original from January 30, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 1.6 MB)
- ↑ Why did the policeman cut the rope?
- ↑ Attac accuses police of "excessive action" during protests in Evian - derstandard.at/1319761/Attac-wirft-Polizei-ueberzügees-Vorgehen-bei-Protesten-in-Evian-vor
- ^ Spiegel-Online: Hot start for the G-8 summit , June 1, 2003
- ^ G8 protesters riot in Lausanne
- ^ Deutsche Welle: Geneva and Lausanne are like a fortress , June 1, 2003
- ^ G8 protesters riot in Lausanne
- ^ G8 protester to prosecute Swiss police
- ↑ Why did the policeman cut the rope?
- ^ G8 protesters riot in Lausanne
- ^ Summit siege , heise.de of June 2, 2003
- ↑ Millions in damage after riots in Geneva , archiv.rhein-zeitung.de
- ^ Sequence of images at the G8 summit
