The G8

Previous G8 summits in France

The 2003 Evian Summit will be the fifth summit to be held in France. The previous summits held in France were:

	Lyon - 1996
	President Chirac chaired the G7 for the first time in 1996. The summit was dominated by the fight against terrorism and organised crime. The Seven decided to step up their co-operation in this area. A discussion was also held on "globalisation for the benefit of all", which put this issue firmly on the international agenda. In the economic field, the Seven agreed to reduce the debt of the poorest countries by launching the HIPC debt reduction initiative. Also on the agenda were the peace process in Bosnia, the situation in the Middle East, the environment and the reforms of the United Nations institutions.
	Paris - 1989
	President Mitterrand welcomed the leaders of the Seven to the French capital at the height of the French Revolution bicentenary celebrations. The Summit of the Arch was to be the last G7 meeting before the break-up of the Eastern Bloc. In an unprecedented move, the leaders asked the European Commission to assist the Eastern European countries. Environmental issues also came to the fore.
	Versailles - 1982
	In 1982, President François Mitterrand hosted the leaders of the Seven (Canada having joined in 1976) at the Château de Versailles. The Seven expressed their will to intensify their economic and monetary co-operation. They also made a “statement on international monetary undertakings”, appended to the declaration, in which they declared that they were “ready, if necessary, to use intervention in exchange markets”.
	Rambouillet - 1975
	The first economic summit was organised by President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing in response to concerns raised by worldwide economic problems at the time. Six countries took part in the summit: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. On the agenda were international monetary disorder and the oil crisis. The leaders declared that they were “determined to overcome high unemployment, continuing inflation and serious energy problems”.