| 39th G8 summit | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Host country | United Kingdom |
| Date | 17–18 June 2013 |
| Venue(s) | Lough Erne Resort inEnniskillen,County Fermanagh,Northern Ireland |
| Cities | Enniskillen |
| Follows | 38th G8 summit |
| Precedes | 40th G7 summit |
The39th G8 summit was held on 17–18 June 2013, at the Lough Erne Resort, a five-star hotel and golf resort on the shore ofLough Erne inCounty Fermanagh,Northern Ireland.[1] It was the sixthG8 summit to be held in theUnited Kingdom and the first to be held in Northern Ireland. The earlier G8 summits hosted by the United Kingdom were held in London (1977, 1984, 1991),Birmingham (1998), andGleneagles (2005).
The official theme of the summit was tax evasion and transparency. However, theSyrian civil war dominated the discussions. A seven-point plan on Syria was agreed after much debate. Other agreements included a way to automate the sharing of tax information, new rules for mining companies, and a pledge to end payments for kidnap victim releases. The United States and the European Union agreed to begin talks towards a broad trade agreement.
TheGroup of Six (G6), started in 1975, was an unofficial forum which brought together the heads of the richest industrialized countries:France,Germany,Italy,Japan, theUnited Kingdom, and theUnited States. This select few became theGroup of Seven (G7) starting in 1976 whenCanada joined. The Group of Eight was formed with the addition ofRussia in 1997.[2] In addition, thePresident of the European Commission has been formally included in summits since 1981.[3] The summits were not meant to be linked formally with wider international institutions; and in fact, a mild rebellion against the stiff formality of other international meetings was a part of the genesis of cooperation between France's presidentValéry Giscard d'Estaing and Germany's chancellorHelmut Schmidt as they conceived theinitial summit of the Group of Six in 1975.[4]
The G8 summits during the twenty-first century have inspired widespread debates, protests and demonstrations; and the two- or three-day event becomes more than the sum of its parts, elevating the participants, the issues and the venue as focal points for activist pressure.[5]
The current form of the G8 is being evaluated. Some reports attribute resistance to the relatively smaller powers such as the UK, Canada, and Japan, who are said to perceive a dilution of their global stature. Alternately, a larger forum for global governance may be more reflective of the present multi-polar world.[6]
The forum is in a process of transformation by expanded membership and by other changes.[7]
The date and location of the summit was announced by British Prime MinisterDavid Cameron in November 2012.[1][8] According to Mark Simpson, theBBC's Ireland Correspondent, the British government chose Fermanagh for two main reasons: history and geography.[1] Since theformation of Northern Ireland in 1921, there has been tension and violence between its two main communities. Theunionist/loyalist community (who are mostly Protestant) generally want Northern Ireland to remain within the United Kingdom, while theIrish nationalist/republican community (who are mostly Catholic) generally want it to leave the United Kingdom and join aunited Ireland. From the late 1960s until the late 1990s, these two communities and the British state were involved in an ethno-nationalist conflict known as theTroubles, in which over 3,500 people were killed. Apeace process led to theBelfast Agreement andceasefires by the paramilitary groups involved (such as the republicanProvisional IRA, the loyalistUlster Volunteer Force). TheConservative Party government of David Cameron is a unionist one. By holding it in Northern Ireland, Cameron "will hope it sends the message to the rest of the world that the peace process has worked and normality has returned".[1] The second reason is geography. G8 summits have always drawn large demonstrations, but Fermanagh's geography will make it hard for protesters. Much of the Lough Erne Resort is surrounded by water and almost all of the roads within 30 miles aresingle carriageway.[1]
Some have criticized the decision to hold the summit in Northern Ireland, due to ongoing protests and small-scale violence by both republicans and loyalists.[9] Since the Provisional IRA called a ceasefire at the end of the Troubles,dissident republican splinter groups havecontinued its paramilitary campaign. The main groups involved in this low-intensity campaign are theReal IRA, theContinuity IRA, andÓglaigh na hÉireann. Security sources expected that these groups would try to launch an attack during the summit, which "would hijack global headlines".[10]
On 23 March 2013, acar bomb was defused 16 miles (26 km) from the Lough Erne Resort. Republican group Óglaigh na hÉireann said it had planned to detonate it at the hotel but had to abort the attack.[11]
There was also the possibility of disruption and violence involving loyalists and nationalists. The summit took place during themarching season, when Protestant and loyalist groups (such as theOrange Order) hold parades throughout Northern Ireland.[12] This is a tense time in Northern Ireland and it often results in clashes between the two main communities. From December 2012 through to December 2013, loyalistsheld daily street protests against the decision to lessen the number of days theUnion Jack flies fromBelfast City Hall. Some of these protests sparked rioting. Protesters discussed holding a Union Jack protest at the G8 summit.[13]
ThePolice Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) mounted a huge security operation in County Fermanagh, atBelfast International Airport (where many of the G8 leaders arrived) and inBelfast. The police operation involved about 8,000 officers: 4,500 from the PSNI and 3,500 who were drafted in from other parts of the UK. They were also trained in PSNI riot tactics and to drive its armoured vehicles.[14] The Lough Erne Resort was surrounded by a four-mile long metal fence and razor wire.[15] Lower Lough Erne was made off-limits to the general public[16] and an air corridor between Belfast and the Resort was made a no-fly zone during the summit. British ArmyChinook andMerlin helicopters were used to escort political leaders and their entourages to and from the Resort.[17] The PSNI also boughtsurveillance drones to help police the summit, while in Belfast, landmark buildings were guarded round-the-clock.[18]
The PSNI said it would "uphold the right to peaceful protest" but that there were to be "consequences" for any protesters who broke the law. More than 100 cells at Northern Ireland's high-security prison,Maghaberry, were set aside for any violent protesters[14] and a temporary cell block was built inOmagh.[19] Anyone arrested during protests at or near the resort were taken to the Omagh holding centre to be questioned and held before going to court.[19] Sixteen judges were put on standby to preside over special court sittings.[19] PSNIsuperintendent Paula Hilman said "We will be able to have a detained person processed, interviewed if required, charged, and appear before the court in a very short time, in a matter of hours".[19] Some protest groups feared that the PSNI would use the dissident republican threat as an excuse for repressive measures against protesters.[14] TheCommittee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) planned to send human rights observers to monitor the PSNI. CAJ deputy director Daniel Holder said his organization was "firmly and absolutely opposed to the use ofplastic bullets", which he said had been fired on 12 occasions in Northern Ireland over the past year.[14]
In theRepublic of Ireland, almost 1,000 officers from theGarda Síochána mounted a security operation alongthe border.[20] Eight temporary border checkpoints were manned by Garda units backed up by theIrish Army.[21] The Garda's elite tactical team, theEmergency Response Unit (ERU), and the special operations forces from theDefence Forces, theArmy Ranger Wing (ARW), were deployed on land and water to secure the border from unauthorised crossings.[22] Some of the delegations attending the summit stayed in the Republic,[21] and protesters announced their intention to hold demonstrations inDublin. Like in Northern Ireland, a special court had also been set up in the Republic to deal with protesters who were arrested there. The court operated day and night atCloverhill Prison in Dublin. Suspects remanded in custody would then be moved through a tunnel from the courthouse to the adjoining jail.[23] Meanwhile, American warships were deployed off the coast ofCounty Donegal and in theIrish Sea as security measures.[24]
The cost of the summit Was expected to be about £60 million. The Northern Ireland government Paid £6 million and the British government Paid for the rest.[25]
The attendees included the leaders of the eight G8 member states, as well as representatives of theEuropean Union. A number of national leaders, and heads of international organizations, are traditionally invited to attend the summit and to participate in some, but not all, G8 summit activities.
The 39th G8 summit was the first and only summit forItalian Prime MinisterEnrico Letta. It was also the last summit forRussian PresidentVladimir Putin and Russia overall.
| Core G8 members Host state and leader are shown in bold text. | |||
| Member | Represented by | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Canada | Stephen Harper | Prime Minister |
 | France | François Hollande | President |
 | Germany | Angela Merkel | Chancellor |
 | Italy | Enrico Letta | Prime Minister |
 | Japan | Shinzō Abe | Prime Minister |
 | Russia | Vladimir Putin | President |
 | United Kingdom | David Cameron | Prime Minister |
 | United States | Barack Obama | President |
 | European Union | José Manuel Barroso | Commission President |
| Herman Van Rompuy | Council President | ||
| Guest Invitees (Countries) | |||
| Member | Represented by | Title | |
 | Ireland[a] | Enda Kenny | Taoiseach |
Officially, tax evasion and transparency were the themes of the summit. However, theSyrian civil war dominated the agenda. According to Cameron, it was also the most difficult issue addressed. A declaration signed by the eight nations outlines a seven-point plan for Syria. It calls for more humanitarian aid, "[maximizing] diplomatic pressure" aiming forpeace talks, backing a transitional government, "[learning] the lessons of Iraq" by maintaining Syria public institutions, ridding the country of terrorists, condemning the use of chemical weapons "by anyone", and instilling a new non-sectarian government.[29] They called for UN investigations into the use of chemical weapons with the promise that whoever had used them would be punished. Although Syrian PresidentBashar al-Assad was not mentioned by name in the declaration, Cameron said it was "unthinkable" that he would remain in power.[29]
Agreements were also reached on globaltax evasion anddata sharing. The G8 nations agreed to tight rules on corporate tax that sometimes allow companies to shift income from one nation to another to avoid taxes.[29] They agreed thatshell companies should have to disclose their true owners, and that it should be easy for any G8 nation to obtain this information. Going forward, corporate and individual tax information will be shared automatically to help detect tax fraud and evasion.[30] TheOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development was assigned to gather data on how multinationals evade taxes.[29]
The G8 nations agreed that oil, gas, and mining companies should report payments from the government, and likewise that the government should report the resources they obtain.[29] The measure was aimed at helping developing countries collect taxes from first-world companies operating in their territories.[30] A declaration to stop paying ransom demands for kidnap victims was also signed.[29]
During the summit the United States and the European Union announced they would enter into trade deal negotiations. Canadian Prime MinisterStephen Harper said the EU and Canada were close to wrapping up a similar deal after years of negotiations which should not be affected by the US-EU announcement.[29]
Harper and Obama also had an informal meeting to discuss border relations during the summit. Harper said they discussed "a range of Canada-US issues that you would expect, obviously theKeystone Pipeline."[29]
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![Ireland European Union Invited leader Enda Kenny, Taoiseach, and current chair of the rotating EU Presidency[26][27][28]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aEnda_Kenny_(2012)_(cropped).jpg)
IrelandEuropean UnionPresidencies 2011–2020 ... Ireland January–June 2013.
As chair of the rotating EU Presidency, Mr Kenny will attend talks on the fringes of the proceedings.
"The potential is enormous. We would see several thousand jobs for Ireland coming out of this", said Taoiseach Enda Kenny after talks on the sideslines of the G8 summit with US president Barack Obama and the leaders of Britain, Germany, France and Italy.
54°23′52″N7°41′36″W / 54.3978°N 7.6933°W /54.3978; -7.6933
