The Quadrilateral group or the Quad is an informal group which includes the trade spokespersons of Canada, the European Union, Japan, and the United States. It was first suggested at a private meeting during the
7th G7 summit
The 7th G7 Summit was called the Ottawa Summit, and was held in Montebello, Quebec, Canada and nearby Ottawa between July 20 and 21, 1981. The venue for the summit meetings was the Château Montebello.Japan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( MOFA) S ...
in July 1981. Initially, a trilateral group was proposed (excluding Canada) because of the tensions between the two North American countries at that time but eventually, the Canadian Government successfully lobbied to be included.
The European Commission has avoided formalizing the group because of resistance from the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
members, particularly France, who resent their lack of direct involvement.
List of Quadrilateral meetings
See also
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European Commissioner for Trade
The European Commissioner for Trade (sometimes referred to as the ''EU Trade Commissioner'') is the member of the European Commission responsible for the European Union's common commercial policy.
Responsibilities
The Commissioner heads up the ...
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Group of Seven
The Group of Seven (G7) is an intergovernmental political forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States; additionally, the European Union (EU) is a "non-enumerated member". It is officiall ...
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Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry
The is a member of the Cabinet of Japan and is the leader and chief executive of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The minister is also a statutory member of the National Security Council, and is nominated by the Prime Minister of Japa ...
(Japan)
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Minister of International Trade Diversification
The Minister of International Trade Diversification () was a minister of the Crown position in the Canadian Cabinet who was responsible for the federal government's international trade portfolio.
Along with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and ...
(Canada)
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Office of the United States Trade Representative
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is an agency of the United States federal government responsible for developing and promoting American trade policy. Part of the Executive Office of the President, it is headed by the ...
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Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate ...
(OECD)
References
International trade organizations
Trade ministers
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