The group of countries includes the Big Seven. Presentation - Countries of the "Big Seven" (G7). Leaders of the G7

The G8 (G8) or Group of Eight is the forum for the governments of the world's eight largest national economies, both in terms of nominal GDP and the highest human development index; it does not include India, which is in 9th place in terms of GDP, Brazil - in seventh and China - in second. The forum originated at the 1975 summit in France and brought together representatives of six governments: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Great Britain, and the United States, which led to the appearance of the abbreviation "Big Six" or G6. The summit became known as the G7 or G7 the following year due to the addition of Canada.

The Group of Seven (G7) is made up of the 7 most developed and richest countries on Earth and its work remains active despite the creation in 1998 " big eight" or G8. In 1998, Russia was added to the group of most developed countries, which then became known as the "Big Eight" (G8). The European Union is represented in the G8 but cannot host or chair summits.

The term "Group of Eight" (G8) can refer to the member states collectively, or to the annual summit meeting of the G8 heads of government. The first term, G6, is now often applied to the six most populous countries within the European Union. G8 ministers also meet throughout the year, for example, G7/G8 finance ministers meet four times a year, G8 foreign ministers or ministers also meet. environment G8.

Together, the G8 countries produce 50.1% of global nominal GDP (as of 2012) and 40.9% of global GDP (PPP). Each calendar year, responsibility for organizing the G8 summit and chairmanship is transferred between member states in the following order: France, US, UK, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada. The country chairman sets the agenda, holds a summit for this year, and determines which ministerial meetings will take place. AT recent times, France and the United Kingdom expressed their desire to expand the group to include five developing countries, referred to as Outreach Five (O5) or plus five: Brazil (7th country in the world by nominal GDP), Chinese People's Republic or China (2nd country in the world by GDP), India (9th country in the world by GDP), Mexico and South Africa (South Africa). These countries have participated as guests at previous summits, sometimes referred to as the G8+5.

With the advent of the G20, the group of twenty largest economies in the world, in 2008 at the summit in Washington, the leaders of the G8 countries announced that at their next summit on September 25, 2009 in Pittsburgh, the G20 would replace the G8 as the main economic council of the wealthy. countries.

One of the main activities in the G8 on a global scale since 2009 is the global food supply. At the L'Aquila summit in 2009, the G8 members pledged to contribute $20 billion in food aid to poor countries over three years. True, since then only 22% of the promised funds have been allocated. At the 2012 summit, US President Barack Obama called on G8 leaders to adopt policies that would privatize global investment in food production and supply.

History of the G8 (G8)

The concept of a forum for the world's leading industrialized democracies emerged before the 1973 oil crisis. On Sunday, March 25, 1973, Treasury Secretary George Schultz convened an informal meeting of finance ministers from West Germany (West Germany Helmut Schmidt), France Valéry Giscard d'Estaing) and Great Britain (Anthony Barber) ahead of their upcoming meeting in Washington.

When starting an idea former president Nixon, he noted that it was better to spend it outside the city, and suggested using White House; the meeting was subsequently held in the library on the first floor. Taking their name from the locality, this original group of four became known as the "Library Group". In mid-1973, at meetings of the World Bank and the IMF, Schultz proposed adding Japan to the original four nations, and everyone agreed. The informal gathering of senior financial officials from the US, UK, West Germany, Japan and France became known as the Five.

The year following the formation of the Five was one of the most tumultuous of the post-World War II era, with heads of state and government in a dozen industrialized nations losing their posts due to illness or scandal. There were two elections in the UK, three Chancellors of Germany, three Presidents of France, three Prime Ministers of Japan and Italy, two Presidents of the United States and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau were forced to go to early elections. Of the members of the "five" all were newcomers to further work except Prime Minister Trudeau.

When 1975 began, Schmidt and Giscard were now heads of state in West Germany and France, respectively, and since they both spoke fluent English, they, British Prime Minister Harold Wilson and US President Gerald Ford could gather in an informal retreat and discuss the election results. In late spring 1975, President Giscard invited the heads of government of West Germany, Italy, Japan, Great Britain and the United States to a summit at the Château de Rambouillet; an annual meeting of the six leaders was organized under his chairmanship and formed the Group of Six (G6). The following year, with Wilson as Prime Minister of Great Britain, Schmidt and Ford, it was felt that a carrier was needed. of English language with a lot of experience, so Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau was invited to join the group, and the group became known as the "Big Seven" (G7). The European Union was represented by the President European Commission and the leader of the country that holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The President of the European Commission has attended every meeting since he was first invited by the UK in 1977 and the President of the Council now also attends meetings regularly.

After the 1994 G7 summit in Naples, Russian officials held separate meetings with G7 leaders after the group's summit meetings. This informal arrangement was called the "Political G8" (P8) - or, colloquially, the G7+1. At the invitation of British Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President Bill Clinton, President Boris Yeltsin was invited first as a guest and observer, and then as a full participant. The invitation was seen as a way to encourage Yeltsin for his capitalist reforms. Russia formally joined the group in 1998, forming the G8, or G8.

Structure and activities of the G8 (G8)

By design, the G8 deliberately does not have an administrative structure like international organizations like the UN or the World Bank. The group does not have a permanent secretariat, or offices for its members.

The chairmanship of the group is transferred annually among the member countries, with each new chairman taking office on 1 January. The presiding country is responsible for planning and hosts a series of ministerial meetings leading up to a mid-year summit with heads of government. The President of the European Commission participates on an equal footing in all activities at the highest level.

Ministerial meetings bring together ministers responsible for various portfolios to discuss issues of mutual interest or concern on a global scale. The range of issues discussed includes health care, work law enforcement, labor market perspectives, economic and social development, energy, environmental protection, foreign affairs, justice and home affairs, terrorism and trade. There is also a separate set of meetings known as the G8+5, created at the 2005 Gleneagles summit in Scotland, which brings together finance and energy ministers from all eight member countries in addition to the five countries also known as the five - Brazil, People's Republic of China, India, Mexico and South Africa.

In June 2005, the ministers of justice and internal affairs of the G8 countries agreed to create an international database of pedophiles. G8 officials also agreed to consolidate terrorism databases, subject to privacy restrictions and security laws in individual countries.

Characteristics of the G8 countries (as of 2014)

State University of Management

Economics of the G7

Completed:

Information Management III-1

Moscow - 2002

The G7 are the most economically developed countries: USA, Japan, Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Canada. In the early 1990s they accounted for over 50% of world GDP and industrial production, over 25% of agricultural products. Since 1975, at regular "top-level" meetings, a coordinated interstate economic, financial, and monetary policy has been worked out. On the basis of a general analysis of the world economy, the G7 countries determine ways of influencing the pace and proportions of its development.

The G7 includes economically developed countries, and Russia joined these countries in the mid-1990s.

The modern world economy seems to be heterogeneous. The role of individual national economies in it differ significantly. The UN statistics given in the table below clearly show that among the leaders of the world economy are the countries of North America (USA and Canada), the countries of Western Europe (Great Britain, Germany, Italy, France) and Japan. But the economy of Russia is in decline, although it is part of the G8, (see Russia section)

For the last decades, the United States of America has been the leader in the global economy.

At the present stage, the leadership of the United States in the world economy is ensured mainly by their superiority to other countries in terms of the scale and wealth of the market, the degree of development of market structures, the level of scientific and technical potential, a powerful and extensive system of world economic relations with other countries through trade, investment and banking. capital.

The unusually high capacity of the domestic market provides the United States with a unique place in the global economy. The highest GNP in the world means that the US spends more than any other country on current consumption and investment. At the same time, the factor that characterizes consumer demand in the United States is the overall high level of income relative to other countries and a large layer of the middle class focused on high standards of consumption. In the US, an average of 1.5 million new homes are started each year, more than 10 million new cars are sold, and a host of other durable goods are sold.

Modern US industry consumes about one third of all raw materials mined in the world. Sarana has the world's largest machinery and equipment market. It accounts for over 40% of machine-building products sold in developed countries. Having the most developed mechanical engineering, the USA at the same time became the largest importer of mechanical engineering products. The United States now receives over one quarter of the world's exports of machinery and equipment, making purchases of virtually all types of machinery.

By the beginning of the 90s. In the United States, a stable progressive structure of the economy has developed, in which the predominant share belongs to the production of services. They account for over 60% of GDP, 37% for material production, and approximately 2.5% for agricultural products. The role of the service sector in employment is even more significant: in the first half of the 1990s, more than 73% of the able-bodied population was employed here.

At the present stage, the United States has the world's largest scientific and technical potential, which is now a decisive factor in the dynamic development of the economy and competitiveness in the world economy. US R&D spending annually exceeds that of the UK, Germany, France, and Japan combined (in 1992, total US R&D spending exceeded $160 billion). Still, more than half of government spending on R&D goes to military work, and in this respect the US is in a much worse position than competitors such as Japan and the EU, which spend the majority of funds on civilian work. But the United States is still well ahead of Europe and Japan in terms of overall R&D capacity and scope, which allows it to conduct scientific work on a broad front and achieve rapid transformation of the results of basic research into applied developments and technical innovations.

US corporations firmly hold the world lead in such areas of scientific and technical progress as the production of aircraft and spacecraft, heavy-duty computers and their software, the production of semiconductors and the latest high-power integrated circuits, the production of laser technology, communications equipment, and biotechnology. The US accounts for over 50% of major innovations generated in developed countries.

USA today largest manufacturer high-tech products, or, as it is commonly called, science-intensive products: their share in the world production of these products was in the early 90s. 36%, in Japan - 29%, Germany - 9.4%, Great Britain, Italy, France, Russia - about 20%.

The United States also holds strong positions in the processing of accumulated knowledge arrays and the provision of information services. This factor plays a very significant role, since fast and high-quality information support to an ever-increasing degree determines the efficiency of the entire production apparatus. Currently, 75% of the data banks available in developed countries are concentrated in the United States. Since in Japan, as well as in Western Europe, there is no equivalent system of data banks, yet long time their scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs will continue to draw their knowledge primarily from American sources. This increases their dependence on the United States and influences the commercial and production strategy of the consumer of information.

It is extremely important that the basis of the scientific and technological potential of the United States is a cadre of highly qualified scientists and engineers engaged in scientific research and development. So, in the early 90s. the total number of scientific workers in the USA exceeded 3 million people. The United States leads in terms of the share of scientists and engineers in the labor force. A high educational level characterizes the entire contingent of the US workforce. In the early 90s. 38.7% of Americans aged 25 and older had completed secondary education, 21.1% had completed higher education, and 17.3% had incomplete higher education. Only 11.6% of American adults have less than a secondary education, which is 8 or less years of schooling. The powerful scientific and technological potential of the country and the general high level of education and professional training of Americans serve as a strength factor for American corporations in their competitive struggle with rivals in the domestic and world markets.

The continued leadership of the United States in modern world economic relations is a natural result of their previous development and represents the next step in the process of US integration into the world economy. The United States plays a special role in shaping the world economic complex, especially in the second half of the 20th century. The relations of leadership and partnership in the field of world trade, investment and finance, which are developing between the USA, Western Europe, Japan and the new industrial countries catching up with them, reveal a certain pattern. At first, there was absolute dominance of the United States, but as the economies of other participants strengthened, these relations turned into competitive partnerships in which the United States was forced to partially cede its share of influence to rivals, while moving the leadership function to a higher level.

The United States has consistently dominated world trade, the export of loan capital, direct and portfolio foreign investment. Today, this predominance is realized mainly in the scale of the economic potential and the dynamism of its development, scientific and technological progress, foreign investment and influence on the global financial market.

At the present stage, the United States is the world's largest investor and at the same time the main object for foreign investment. Great Britain made the most significant investments in the USA ($12 billion). In total, the United States received over $560 billion in direct investments from abroad. American firms are still the largest investors in the world, the total amount of their direct capital investments abroad exceeds all world investments and amounted to approximately $706 billion. .USA.

In addition, American corporations have been involved in a capital investment boom in recent years due to the strengthening of the dollar. Corporate profits as a percentage of national income are much higher than in the 1980s. Unit labor costs did not rise in 1995 from an average annual increase of 4.1% in the 1980s, serving clear sign improving economic efficiency.

Such successes are due to the strong growth in productivity, which in the 90s. in the non-farm sector increased by 2.2% annually, twice the rate of the previous two decades. If the current rate of 2% is maintained, national productivity will increase by almost 10% more in the next decade.

In the post-war period, the internationalization of economic life took place in stages. At the same time, the US economy was undergoing a transition in the world economy from superiority over weak partners to competitive partnership and increased interdependence of strong partners, among which the United States retains a leading position.

Another richest country on the North American continent, with more than a century of history, is Canada.

But the real income of the population of Canada declined in L991 by 2%. A slight expansion of employment and insignificant increases in wages in the public and private sectors of the economy hampered the growth of labor incomes, which make up 3/5 of the total incomes of the population. Investment income has fallen three times in a row, first due to a reduction in dividend payments, and in 1993 mainly due to falling interest rates. As a result, real consumer spending in 1993 increased by only 1.6% against 1.3% in 1992.

Statistics show that the reduction in the scale of production in the early 90s. was not significant, but it took place in the conditions of the most serious structural adjustment in the last three decades, which affected the industry of the two provinces with the most developed industrial potential - Ontario and Quebec.

Economic growth, the revival of the Canadian economy has been going on since 1992, when the GDP growth rate was 0.6%; in 1993 they rose to 2.2%. In 1994, in terms of economic growth (4.2%), the maple leaf country for the first time since 1988 was the leader in the "Big Seven" and retained this position in 1995, increasing real GDP in 1995. by 3.8%.

There is also a sharp jump in the growth of private investment - from 0.7% in 1993 to 9% in 1994 and 8.0% in the first quarter of 1995. Consumer spending began to grow approximately twice as fast - by 3% compared to from 1.6% in 1993

The growth of production in Canada is due to an increase in the income of the population and corporations. If during the recession of 1990-1991. real incomes of the population (after taxes, taking into account price increases) were declining, then in 1994 they increased by 2.9%, and in 1995 - by 4.0%. At the same time, the profits of Canadian corporations increased by 35% in 1994 and by 27% in 1995. Such growth is supported by the expansion of domestic demand, the increasing flow of exports and rising commodity prices in the world market. We are talking about high prices for energy carriers, chemical raw materials, metals, paper, wood.

An important role in the growth of corporate incomes is played by restructuring in Canadian industry, measures to reduce costs and technical re-equipment, which led to an increase in labor productivity, which in the manufacturing industries exceeds 5%.

The new federal government, trying to solve the most acute problems of the domestic economic situation, in February 1995 proposed a plan of reforms, indicating a radical revision of the role of the state in the socio-economic life of the country. Yes, it provides for:

19% reduction in spending by federal ministries over the next three years; cut subsidies to entrepreneurs by 50%;

support for small businesses (but forms of assistance to small businesses will be less concessional and more in line with the regime of severe budgetary austerity);

commercialization of activities public institutions and privatization.

This means that there will be a commercialization or transfer to private hands of the functions of state institutions and corporations in all cases where this is practically possible and effective. The program also includes the possibility of full or partial privatization of state-owned enterprises.

Canada, whose exports and imports account for 2/3 of the GNP, is highly dependent on the situation on the world market. Over the past three years, its exports have grown by 31.6%, and imports - by 31.3%. Such positive shifts are due to the low exchange rate of the Canadian dollar against the US, economic restructuring and the associated increasing competitiveness, Canadian products, as well as economic recovery in the United States, on the market of which, in fact, the products of the country of the maple leaf are oriented.

Today, Canada is in serious need of extensive exports to the United States to achieve even the most modest economic growth. Any sudden "cooling" in the economy south of the Canadian border causes a strong flow of "cold air" in a northerly direction. Now Canada is firmly tied to the United States, it has weak consumer growth and the same growth in personal incomes. The only thing that can move its economy , is an expansion of exports, and most of it is in the United States.

The generally weak economic growth in Canada masks the serious problems faced by Canadians. Among them: high unemployment (about 9.5%), record consumer debt, low savings and the dire consequences caused by cuts of tens of billions of dollars in the budgets of the federal and provincial governments.

As you know, many European countries have stabilized their currencies by "pegging" them to the German mark. In Canada, the free floating exchange rate of the national currency was maintained. The central bank of the Maple Leaf country intervenes only occasionally to smooth out fluctuations in the Canadian dollar, but does not support it at any particular level. Thus, no active steps were taken to prevent the fall of the national currency at the beginning of 1994, since it is rightly expected that this fall, on the one hand, stimulates exports, and, on the other hand, switches demand for Canadian-made consumer goods.

The change of government in Canada (in 1993) did not create any significant obstacles to the implementation of the agreement on the formation of the North American Free Trade Area, which included three North American countries. Therefore, the prospects for its economic growth and an increase in the role of Canada in the modern world economy seem very certain.

The European countries of the "Big Seven" occupy a special place in the world economy.

By level economic development, the nature of the structure of the economy, the scale of economic activity, Western European countries are divided into several groups. The main economic power of the region falls on four large highly industrialized countries - Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, which concentrate 50% of the population and 70% of the gross domestic product.

At the present stage in Western Europe, the potential for scientific and technical research is very high. European G8 countries spend heavily on new research. But the overall effect is reduced by duplication of studies, so the real value of this indicator will be lower than the nominal value. However, the European part of the G8 allocates 16% less for civilian research than the US, but twice as much as Japan. At the same time, Western spending European countries heavily focused on basic research. These countries are lagging behind in such key industries as integrated circuits and semiconductors, the manufacture of microprocessors, supercomputers, and biomaterials. This is not surprising, since so far they have spent almost as much on research in the field of microelectronics as one large company, IBM, allocates in the United States.

Among the factors negatively affecting the course of economic development of Western Europe, mass unemployment stands out - up to 20 million people. More than 80% of the unemployed are concentrated in the EU countries. Their unemployment rate was 11.4% of the labor force in 1996, compared with 5.5% in the US and 3.3% in Japan.

Modern economic development of the Western European countries proceeds under the sign of structural changes. These changes reflected the general trends in the development of production and the social division of labor in the new stage of scientific and technological progress, and also were the result of structural crises and overproduction crises of the 70s and early 90s.

At the present stage, the shipbuilding, ferrous metallurgy, textile and coal industries have experienced a structural crisis. Such sectors, which were not so long ago growth stimulants, such as the automotive industry, chemistry, and electrical engineering, faced a reduction in domestic demand and changes in the international division of labor. The most dynamic sectors include the electronics industry, in which the production of equipment for industrial and special purpose, first of all, computers. New industries and industries have emerged related to the manufacture of robots, CNC machine tools, nuclear reactors, aerospace technology, and new means of communication. However, they were not only unable to ensure high economic growth rates, but also lagged behind the United States and Japan in their development. Domestic companies provide only 35% of the regional consumption of semiconductors, 40% of electronic components, and even less of integrated circuits. The Western European industry for the production of information technology provides 10% of the needs of the world and 40% of the regional markets.

The past decade has been characterized by some lagging behind Western Europe from its main competitors in the progressiveness of the sectoral structure. High demand products account for 25% of G8 European manufacturing, about 30% in the US and almost 40% in Japan. Recently, in the Western European economy, a large place has been occupied by the modernization of a profitably functioning production apparatus, and not by its radical renewal on the basis of the latest technology.

As data of country comparisons on the structure of the manufacturing industry show, mechanical engineering and heavy industry have been developed in the leading countries of the region. The share of chemistry is also significant. Many Western European countries are major producers of consumer products. The share of sectoral light industry in Italy is 18-24%.

Most countries in the region are characterized by an increase or stabilization of the role of the food industry, both in production and in employment.

The most significant are the differences in structural indicators for the share of agriculture in the formation of GDP - from 1.5 to 8%. Highly developed countries have almost reached the limit on this indicator (2-3% of GDP). With a decrease in employment to 7% of the able-bodied population (17% in 1960), there was an increase in production volumes. Western Europe accounts for about 20% of world agricultural production. Today, the leading producers of agricultural products in the EU are France (14.5%), Germany (13%), Italy (10%), Great Britain (8%). The relatively high growth rates of this industry contributed to the increase in the self-sufficiency of Western European countries in agricultural products and the supply to foreign markets is the main way to sell the "surplus" products of the region.

In recent years, serious changes have taken place in the fuel and energy balance of Western European countries. As a result of the implementation of comprehensive energy programs aimed at maximizing savings and increasing the efficiency of energy use, there has been a relative reduction in energy consumption, while oil consumption has decreased absolutely. The decrease in energy consumption proceeded in the region with different intensity and the tendency to its increase remained. Shifts in the structure of the energy balance are associated with a drop in the share of oil (from 52 to 45%), a significant increase in the share of nuclear energy, and an increase in the role of natural gas. Most widely natural gas used in the Netherlands, where it accounts for half of the energy consumed, and in the UK. Nuclear energy is produced and consumed in 10 countries. In a number of countries, it accounts for a significant part of the energy consumed, in France - over 75%.

Occurred in last years shifts in the economies of Western European countries went in one direction - a reduction in their GDP in the share of branches of material production and an increase in the share of services. This sector currently largely determines the growth of national production, the dynamics of investment. It accounts for 1/3 of the economically active population.

This increases the importance of the Western European countries as a financial center, a center for providing other kinds of services.

The restructuring of big capital has led to a significant strengthening of the positions of Western European companies in the world economy. For the 70-80s. among the 50 largest companies in the world, the number of Western European companies increased from 9 to 24. All the largest companies are international. There have been changes in the balance of power between the West European giants. German corporations came forward, to a lesser extent - France and Italy.

The positions of British companies have weakened. The leading Western European banks have retained their positions, 23 of them are among the largest 50 banks in the world (German and 6 French).

Modern processes of monopolization in Western Europe differ from similar processes in North America. The largest Western European companies occupy the strongest positions in traditional industries, lagging far behind in the newest high-tech ones. The sectoral specialization of the largest associations in Western Europe is less mobile than that of US corporations. And this, in turn, slows down the restructuring of the economy.

Forecasts show that the market of the future will have less demand for mass species products at the lowest possible cost. Therefore, the role of companies that rely on a broad production program with frequent changes in manufactured models and effective adaptation to changing market conditions is increasing. The economy of scale is being replaced by the economy of opportunity. The process of decentralization of production management is gaining momentum, the intra-company division of labor is growing. The progressive fragmentation of markets as the specialization of consumer demand deepens, the development of the service sector contributes to the growth of small businesses, which account for up to 30-45% of GDP. The growth of small business increases the flexibility of economic structures in relation to the needs of the market.

East Asia has been considered the most dynamically developing region in the world economy in recent decades.

It is no coincidence that Japan was the first among the countries of the region to make the transition to modern economic growth. The expansionist influence of the West gave Japan the impetus in the post-war period to transition to a model of modern economic growth, which was carried out much faster and more painlessly than, say, in China.

As early as the end of the 19th century, starting with the Meiji reform, the Japanese government created conditions for free enterprise and initiated the implementation of economic modernization. A feature of the Japanese modernization of economic activity was the fact that foreign capital occupied an insignificant share in the creation of a modern economy, as well as the fact that the patriotic movement initiated by the state plays a significant role in modernization.

As a result, in the post-war period (over the course of one generation), Japan raised the economy from ruins to a position of parity with the richest countries in the world. She did this under conditions of democratic government and with the distribution of economic benefits among the general population.

The thrift and enterprise of the Japanese played a significant role in this. From the 50s. Japan's savings rate was the highest in the world, often twice or more than that of other major industrial nations. In 1970-1972 savings of Japanese households and non-corporate businesses amounted to 16.8% of GNP, or 13.5% after depreciation, the corresponding figures for American households4 were 8.5% and 5.3%. Net savings of Japanese corporations amounted to 5.8% of GNP, US corporations - 1.5%. Net savings of the Japanese government - 7.3% of GNP, the US government - 0.6%. Japan's total net savings amounted to 25.4% of GNP, the US - 7.1%. This exceptionally high rate of savings has been maintained for many years and has maintained a very high rate of investment throughout this time.

Over the past 40 years, Japan has grown rich at a phenomenal pace. From 1950 to 1990, real per capita income increased (in 1990 prices) from $1,230 to $23,970, i.e., the growth rate was 7.7% per year. During the same period, the United States was able to achieve income growth of only 1.9% per year. Japan's post-war economic achievements proved to be unsurpassed in world history.

Japan's modern economy is remarkably dependent on small entrepreneurs. Almost one-third of the workforce is made up of self-employed and unpaid family members (compared to less than 10% in the UK and US). In the early 80s. In Japan, there were 9.5 million enterprises with fewer than 30 workers, of which 2.4 million were firms and 6 million were unincorporated non-agricultural business enterprises. These firms employed more than half of the workforce. In industry, almost half of the labor force works in enterprises with fewer than 50 workers. This proportion is repeated in Italy, but in the UK and the US the figure is around 15%.

The government encourages the savings and growth of small businesses through tax incentives, financial and other assistance. Huge networks of suppliers and subcontractors of large monopolies of the "first", "second" and "third" levels are formed from small businesses. Their hands create, for example, half the cost of cars manufactured by Toyota.

Japan became the first country in whose economy a balanced growth model was implemented. In 1952, Japan completed the stage of modern economic growth with annual GNP growth rates of up to 5%. From 1952 to 1972, Japan went through a period of ultra-fast growth with an annual GNP growth rate of up to 10%. From 1973 to 1990 - the next stage - the stage of gradual attenuation of the super-rapid growth of GNP (up to 5%). Since 1990, this country has also been the first and so far the only one to enter the last stage in the implementation of the same economic model of balanced growth. This is a stage of moderate GNP growth in a mature market economy. And this means that "the high growth rates of the Japanese economy will be replaced by an annual increase in GNP of an average of 2-3%. The beginning of this stage coincided with a four-year depression in the world economy, which, after seven years of prosperity, entered into a serious economic crisis in 1990, from which Japan is still being chosen, and this is confirmed by statistics, and in the mid-1990s, the Japanese economy continued to decline for the fourth year

The leaders of European countries unanimously rejected the idea of ​​returning Russia to the number of participants in the G7 summits.

“Let Russia come back,” said US President Donald Trump.

“Like it or not, and it may not be politically correct, our job is to lead the world. The G7 kicked out Russia. They should let her come back,” Trump said.

Initially, the US President was supported by Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, but in the end, the leaders of all European countries came to the common opinion that the return of Russia cannot happen until it changes its policy and, in particular, there is significant progress in solving the Ukrainian problem. Russia expelled from the G8 after the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

So seven is eight?

Initially, an unofficial but extremely influential club of leaders of the most developed industrial countries united six states.

The idea of ​​such high-level meetings first arose in the early 1970s, when the world's financial crisis erupted, and relations between the United States, Western Europe, and Japan deteriorated.

The first meeting was held in France, colleagues from the USA, Great Britain, Germany, Italy and Japan were invited by the then President of the country Valerie Giscard d'Estaing. As a result, a declaration on economic problems was adopted.

The format of the meetings has taken root, and they are held annually. The current summit, for example, is devoted to discussing the duties that the United States has imposed on steel and aluminum from Europe, Canada and Mexico. The rest of the G7 countries have already protested this. The G7 leaders are trying to find an acceptable solution in Quebec, Canada, the meeting takes place on June 8 and 9.

"Six" did not last long. Canada joined the group in 1976.

Why big?

The term " big seven”(in the corresponding period -“ the big eight ”) is not accurate, but has taken root in domestic journalism. Officially, the club and the summit of heads of state is called the "Group of Seven", the group of seven, abbreviated as G7. One of the journalists misinterpreted the abbreviation as "Great Seven", that is, "big seven". For the first time this term was used at the beginning of 1991 in the Kommersant newspaper.

And when did Russia get there?

The USSR at a late stage of development tried to introduce the first and last president of the country, Mikhail Gorbachev, into the G7. He came to the next summit of the group in London and proposed Soviet Union as a partner of the "big seven". However, the idea seemed too radical; Western countries were clearly not ready to cooperate with the "evil empire" at this level.

After the collapse of the USSR at the end of the same year, Russia became the legal successor of the socialist power and was still one of the largest world powers. Its leader, Boris Yeltsin, did not even hide his desire to join the G7. He came to the summits and, not being a member of the "Group of Seven", negotiated with the leaders of the participating countries.

In 1994, the long-awaited design of the G8 began. At the next meeting in Naples, the summit was divided into two parts. The second was held with the participation of Yeltsin as an equal partner. The statement on foreign policy issues was already made on behalf of the G8. However, Russia has not yet been officially a member of the group.

In 1996, a nuclear security summit was held in Moscow. And after the meeting held on June 20-22 next year in Denver, the group officially expanded to eight states. The political "eight" was transformed into the "big", having received the name G8.

Since 1998, the Russians have had a direct influence on the formation of the agenda, draft abstracts for discussions and final documents.

Is this an official structure?

No, the G7 summits, like the G8, do not have official status, as well as an administrative structure, such as the United Nations or the World Bank. There is also no permanent secretariat. This is done intentionally.

All members take turns chairing the group. Also, the head of the European Commission, the highest collegial executive body of the European Union, participates on an equal footing in all events at the highest level. Ministerial meetings are held to discuss global issues in the areas of health, law enforcement, labor market prospects, economic and social development, energy, environmental protection, foreign affairs, justice and home affairs, terrorism and trade.

So G7 or G8?

In 2014, the G8 became the G7 again after Russia annexed Crimea. The international community did not recognize the results of the referendum, sanctions were imposed against Russia, and exclusion from the club was the next step.

The decision to suspend Russia's membership was made on March 25 in The Hague, where a nuclear security summit was held. The next meeting of the leaders of the G8 states was to be held in Sochi, but it was moved to Brussels - and it took place without Russia.

"This group has come together because it shares general views and responsibility. The actions taken by Russia in the past weeks do not correspond to them. We are ending our participation in the G-8 until Russia changes course,” the statement said in The Hague.

Since then, meetings of heads of state have been held again in the G7 format, and relations between Western countries and Russia have been deteriorating. Another aggravation occurred after the poisoning in the UK of ex-GRU Colonel Sergei Skripal, London accused the Russian authorities of involvement in the assassination attempt.

Nevertheless, Western leaders have repeatedly emphasized that in the event of a change foreign policy, resolving the Ukrainian issue and the conflict in Syria, Russia will be able to return to the G8.

Why did Trump call Russia back?

Donald Trump is known for the unexpected. He suggested calling Russia back to the G8 on the eve of the next summit, which is being held in Canada.

“That would be politically correct. We need to let Russia return, because we need it as a participant in the negotiation process,” he told Canadian journalists.

Initially, his colleague from Italy, Giuseppe Conte, supported him, writing on Twitter that the return of Russia was "in the interests of everyone."

But in the end, the Italian prime minister sided with his colleagues from European countries, who believe that Russia's return to the G8 is premature. German leader Angela Merkel expressed her common position, saying that without significant progress on the Ukrainian problem, Russia would not return to the summits.

Is Russia going to return?

Russian politicians have repeatedly stated that the G8 format has lost its relevance and attractiveness, and Russia does not seek to return to the G8.

As the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov said, Russia is focusing on other formats, as the relevance of the G7 for Russia is falling every year.

In his opinion, the relevance of the G20, the G20, a group of 20 countries, is rapidly increasing. This is a club of governments and heads of central banks of states. In addition to the G7 countries and Russia, it includes Australia, Argentina, Brazil, India, Indonesia, China, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, South Korea, South Africa and the EU.

The "Big Seven" (before the suspension of Russia's membership - the "Big Eight") is international club, which does not have its own charter, treaty, secretariat and headquarters. Compared to the World economic forum The G-7 does not even have its own website and public relations department. She is not official international organization consequently, its decisions are not subject to mandatory execution.

Tasks

As of early March 2014, the G8 countries include the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Russia, the United States of America, Canada and Japan. As a rule, the task of the club is to record the intentions of the parties to adhere to a certain agreed line. States can only recommend to others international participants make certain decisions international affairs. However, the club plays an important role in modern world. The composition of the G8 announced above changed in March 2014 when Russia was expelled from the club. The "Big Seven" today is just as significant for the world community as large organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, WTO, OECD.

History of occurrence

In 1975, in Rambouillet (France), the first meeting of the G6 ("Big Six") was held at the initiative of French President Valerie Giscard d'Estaing. The meeting brought together the heads of countries and governments of France, the United States of America, Great Britain, Japan, Germany and Italy. At the end of the meeting, a joint declaration on economic problems was adopted, which called for the abandonment of aggression in trade and the establishment of new barriers to discrimination.In 1976, Canada joined the club, turning the Six into the Seven.The club was conceived more as an enterprise with a discussion of macro economic problems, but then global topics began to rise. In the 1980s, agendas became more varied than just economic issues. The leaders discussed the external political situation in developed countries and in the world as a whole.

From "seven" to "eight"

In 1997, the club began to position itself as the "Big Eight", since Russia was included in the composition. As a result, the range of questions has expanded again. Military-political problems became important topics. Members of the "Big Eight" began to propose plans to reform the composition of the club. For example, ideas have been put forward to replace leaders' meetings with videoconferences to avoid the huge financial cost of hosting summits and ensuring the safety of members. Also, the states of the G8 put forward the option of including more countries, for example, Australia and Singapore, in order to transform the club into the G20. Later, this idea was abandoned because in large numbers participating countries, it would be more difficult to make decisions. At the start of the twenty-first century, new global themes are emerging and the G8 countries are addressing current issues. The discussion of terrorism and cybercrime comes to the fore.

United States of America and Germany

The "Big Seven" brings together significant participants in the world political arena. The United States of America uses the club to advance its strategic goals in the international arena. American leadership was especially strong during the financial crisis in the Asia-Pacific region, when the United States secured the approval of profitable schemes of action to resolve it.

Germany is also an important member of the G7. The Germans use their participation in this club as an influential means to establish and strengthen the growing role of their country in the world. Germany is actively striving for a single agreed line European Union. The Germans put forward the idea of ​​strengthening control over the global financial system and the main exchange rates.

France

France participates in the G7 club in order to secure its position as a "country with global responsibility". In close cooperation with the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance, it plays an active role in world and European affairs. Together with Germany and Japan, France advocates the idea of ​​centralized control over the movement of world capital to prevent currency speculation. Also, the French do not support "wild globalization", arguing that it leads to a gap between the less developed part of the world and the more developed countries. In addition, in countries that are suffering from the financial crisis, the social stratification of society is aggravated. That is why, at the suggestion of France in 1999 in Cologne, the topic of the social consequences of globalization was included in the meeting.

France is also concerned about the negative attitude of many Western countries towards the development of nuclear energy, since 85% of electricity is generated at nuclear power plants in its territory.

Italy and Canada

For Italy, participation in the G7 is a matter of national prestige. She is proud of her membership in the club, which allows her to more actively implement her claims in international affairs. Italy is interested in all the political issues discussed at the meetings, and also does not leave other topics without attention. The Italians proposed giving the G-7 the character of a "permanent mechanism for consultations," and also sought to provide for regular meetings of foreign ministers on the eve of the summit.

For Canada, the G7 is one of the most important and useful institutions for securing and promoting its international interests. At the Birmingham summit, Canadians pushed issues related to their niches in world affairs, such as the ban anti-personnel mines. Canadians also wanted to create the image of a petitioner on those issues on which the leading powers have not yet reached a consensus. Regarding the future activities of the G7, the opinion of the Canadians is to rationally organize the work of the forum. They support the "presidents only" formula and holding separate meetings of foreign ministers two to three weeks before the meetings.

Great Britain

The UK highly values ​​its membership in the G7. The British believe that this emphasizes the status of their country as a great power. Thus, the country can influence the solution of important international issues. In 1998, while the UK chaired the meeting, she raised the discussion of global economic problems and issues related to the fight against crime. The British also insisted on simplifying the procedure for the summit and the membership of the G7. They suggested holding meetings with a minimum number of participants and in an informal setting in order to focus on a more limited number of issues in order to deal more effectively with them.

Japan

Japan does not have a membership in the United Nations Security Council, is not a member of NATO and the European Union, so participation in the G7 summits has a special meaning for it. This is the only forum where Japan can influence world affairs and strengthen its position as an Asian leader.

The Japanese use the "seven" in order to put forward their political initiatives. In Denver, they proposed to discuss on the agenda the opposition international terrorism, the fight against infectious diseases, the provision of assistance for the development of African countries. Japan actively supported the decisions on the problems of international crime, ecology and employment. At the same time, the Japanese Prime Minister was unable to ensure that at that time the "Big Eight" of the countries of the world paid attention to the need to make a decision on the Asian financial and economic crisis. After this crisis, Japan insisted on developing new "rules of the game" in order to achieve greater transparency in international finance for both global organizations and private enterprises.

The Japanese have always taken an active part in solving world problems, such as providing employment, combating international crime, arms control and others.

Russia

In 1994, after the G7 summit in Naples, several separate meetings were held Russian leaders with G7 leaders. Russian President Boris Yeltsin took part in them at the initiative of Bill Clinton, the head of America, and Tony Blair, the Prime Minister of Great Britain. At first he was invited as a guest, and after a while - as a full member. As a result, Russia became a member of the club in 1997.

Since then, the G8 has significantly expanded the range of issues discussed. The country-chairman of the Russian Federation was in 2006. Then the declared priorities Russian Federation were energy security, the fight against infectious diseases and their spread, the fight against terrorism, education, the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the development of the world economy and finance, the development of world trade, environmental protection.

Club goals

The leaders of the G8 met at summits annually, usually on summer time, in the territory of the presiding state. In June 2014, Russia was not invited to the Brussels summit. In addition to the Heads of State and Government of the Member States, two representatives from the European Union participate in the meetings. Confidants members of a G7 country (Sherpas) form the agenda.

The chairman of the club during the year is the head of one of the countries in a certain order. The goals of the G8 in membership in the Russian club are to solve various urgent problems that arise in the world at one time or another. Now they have remained the same. All participating countries are leading in the world, so their leaders face the same economic and political problems. The commonality of interests brings leaders together, which makes it possible to harmonize their discussions and conduct fruitful meetings.

Weight of the Big Seven

The "Big Seven" has its own significance and value in the world, since its summits allow the heads of state to look at international problems through someone else's eyes. Summits identify new threats in the world - political and economic, and allow them to be prevented or eliminated through the adoption of joint decisions. All members of the G7 highly value participation in the club and are proud of belonging to it, although they primarily pursue the interests of their countries.

Big Seven (G7) is a group of seven industrialized countries: Japan, France, USA, Canada, Italy, Germany and the UK (see Fig. 1). G7 was created during the oil crisis of the 1970s of the last century - as an informal club. The main goals of creation:

• coordination of financial and economic relations;
• acceleration of integration processes;
• development and effective implementation of anti-crisis policy;
• search for all possible ways to overcome the contradictions that arise both between the countries - members of the Big Seven, and with other states;
• allocation of priorities in the economic and political spheres.

(Fig. 1 - Flags of the countries participating in the "Big Seven")

According to the provisions of the G7, the decisions taken at the meetings should be implemented not only through the system of major international economic organizations (such as the World trade Organization, International Monetary Fund, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), but also through the government institutions of the G7.

The decision to hold meetings of the leaders of the above countries was made in connection with the aggravation of relations between Japan, Western Europe and the United States on a number of financial and economic issues. The first meeting was organized by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (then President of France) at Rambouillet on November 15-17, 1975. It brought together the heads of six countries: Japan, France, Germany, the USA, Italy and the UK. Canada joined the club in 1976 at a meeting in Puerto Rico. Since that time, the meetings of the participating countries have become known as G7 "summits" and take place on a regular basis.

In 1977, the leaders of the European Union arrived as observers at the summit, which was hosted by London. Since then, their participation in these meetings has become a tradition. Since 1982, the scope of the G7 has also included political issues.

Russia's first participation in the G7 took place in 1991, when Mikhail Gorbachev, the President of the USSR, was invited to the summit. But only in June 1997, at a meeting in Denver, it was decided to join the "club of seven" of Russia. However, Russia does not take part in the discussion of some issues to this day.