Thomas Fues is head of the training department at the German Development Institute in Bonn.

Public Engagement

The L'Aquila Summit marks a turning point in German perspectives on the G8. Policy makers and public commentators now fundamentally question the relevance of the G8 and put their hope in the G20, with a few dissenting voices still holding on to the original format. An important factor in this paradigm shift has been the unexpected reversal of opinion by Chancellor Angela Merkel. In a parliamentary debate one week before the Italian summit she declared her unequivocal commitment to the G20 as "overarching structure" for global policy coordination. Somewhat contradictory to the perceived demise of the G8, the German public followed the event with considerable interest and solid expectations, particularly regarding climate change, economic protectionism, African development and food security. Beyond the substantive issues, public opinion closely observed the extent to which developing countries were integrated into the official proceedings and how they shaped the final outcome. In a show of national pride, Chancellor Merkel is commended for initiating the Heiligendamm process which has paved the way for an institutionalized dialogue with emerging powers and will be extended for two further years. However, the protest movement Attac which mobilized a strong following in Germany during the 2007 summit dismissed the present G8 meeting as "irrevocably delegitimized and irrelevant." Instead, the group is preparing for the next G20 summit as focal point of its activities. Switching the label of "rich men's club" from the G8 to the G20, critical commentators see the United Nations as the only legitimate body of global decision making.

Public Focus

Public commentators in Germany are split in their assessment of the different formats used during the Italian summit. While some fear a significant loss of accountability and transparency through the changing constellations of participating countries over the three days, others see such flexibility as key to effective policy coordination on diverse issues. The national newspaper "Die Welt" approvingly uses the image of an onion to describe the multi-level interaction of leaders: the core being the G8, the outer peel the G20 and in between the G8+5 plus the Major Economies Forum. Referring to current scholarly thinking the daily "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" underlines the functionality of flexible alliances in response to unprecedented global challenges. The club structure as such, e.g., the G8, is not important; the only thing that counts is impact and effectiveness. Since the range of relevant actors differs widely across policy fields variable arrangements are a prerequisite to effective problem-solving. Still, a good number of German opinion makers criticize the fuzziness of the current summit architecture and call for a clear-cut definition of membership and responsibilities. Some especially emphasize the need to eliminate the overlap between the MEF and the G20. Others focus on the inclusion of individual countries or regions, particularly with regard to Egypt and the Africa. Chancellor Merkel has urged to cut down on the frequency of summit meetings since leaders' capacities are overstretched by the present multitude

G8 Relevance

As indicated above, most public commentators in Germany follow Chancellor Merkel's sudden change of mind in that the G8 should be degraded to a preparatory caucus of industrialized countries in relation to the G20. The first prominent German politician to support the notion of a G20 at leaders' level, former finance minister Hans Eichel from the Social Democratic Party, opines: "G20 is the only format of the future, and nothing between G8 and G20" (Bundestag, July 2).  Still, the Italian summit is generally perceived as a useful interim step towards the G20 meeting in September and the critical climate conference in Copenhagen at the end of the year. The daily "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" quotes an anonymous member of the German delegation as half-jokingly asserting that 'L'Aquila will certainly not be the final G8 summit, meaning that the glory days are over but the club will not be immediately closed down. The influential weekly "Der Spiegel" speaks of an "impotent G8." A certain sense of awe is expressed about the "sensational speed" by which the G20, within months, has replaced the G8 as the locus of global leadership (weekly "Die Zeit"). It has become common knowledge in the German debate that global governance can only succeed if developing countries are adequately included. Due to the growing weight and assertiveness of emerging powers, the time of G8 outreach is over; a new summit architecture has to be put in place (German Council on Foreign Relations). A small minority of commentators insists on holding on to the G8 (sometimes explicitly excluding Russia) as group of like-minded industrialized countries which stand for pluralism and democracy (weekly "Der Stern").  Serious concern is developing in Germany over the future representation of European countries in global institutions like G20, IMF and World Bank. Analysts and policy makers understand that the European presence has to be reduced but they do not see how that could possibly be accomplished on a consensual basis among affected countries.

Global Leadership

Public opinion in Germany is generally positive for the outcome of the summit as expectations have been exceeded ("Die Zeit"). Progress is seen in substance (climate change, development assistance, food security, Iran, trade) as well as in process by getting the emerging powers on board. Policy makers and the media are particularly pleased about the new consensus on limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius. However, since the outcome documents are weak on implementation, many NGOs are skeptical how such aspirations will be translated into reality. One example: considering new regulatory mechanisms for financial markets national interests clash even within the European Union (Germany and UK). Many commentators also refer to the rift between the climate ambitions of the Obama administration and the status quo position of the US Congress. Still, there is wide-spread hope in Germany that leaders are beginning to address pressing global challenges and that an inclusive summit architecture such as the G20 could make an important contribution. Minority voices, including those from the Green Party, in contrast emphasize the leadership role of the United Nations and call for the creation of a UN Global Economic Council, an idea that has also been propagated by Chancellor Merkel.

*This article is unedited.