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, Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
. The framework will also seek establishment of a common G8/G5 platform at the OECD
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 e ...
.
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,; often shortened to ''Bundeskanzler''/''Bundeskanzlerin'', / is the head of the federal government of Germany and the commander in chief of the Ge ...
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German former politician and scientist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she previously served as Leader of the Opp ...
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 (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is ...
Nicolas Sarkozy 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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