The Heiligendamm process is an initiative that will institutionalize high-level dialogue between the
G8 and the five most important emerging economies, known as the
O5 (Outreach 5):
Microsoft Word - Outreach 5 Objectives Report.doc
/ref> China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
and South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
. The framework will also seek establishment of a common G8/G5 platform at the OECD
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; , OCDE) is an international organization, intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and international trade, wor ...
.
In the past, talks between the two groups took place sporadically, but presently the G8 and O5 meet regularly. Innovation, freedom of investment, development in Africa, and technology for reducing emissions were the four main issues this process visited in 2008 and 2009. A progress report was presented at the 2008 G8 Summit in Japan; a final report on the results of the dialogue was put forward in Italy in 2009. German Chancellor
The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, is the head of the federal government of Germany. The chancellor is the chief executive of the Federal Cabinet and heads the executive branch. Th ...
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German retired politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. She is the only woman to have held the office. She was Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2005 and Leade ...
supported this process, stating, " cannot get by, or shape globalization in a humane way, without each other".
On August 28, 2007, French President
The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the pos ...
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...
proposed that China, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa and India should become members of G8: "The G8 can't meet for two days and the G13 for just two hours.... That doesn't seem fitting, given the power of these five emerging countries." Nevertheless, as of 2009 formal enlargement of the G8 is not a realistic political option, as G8 states have diverging positions thereon. The US and Japan have been against enlargement, with Great Britain and France actively in favour, and Italy, Germany, and Canada undecided.
References
German Federal Government - The Heiligendamm Process
G7 summits
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