Elmau/Berlin (dpa) – Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) wants to work with partners in the G7 countries to find solutions to the energy crisis and rising inflation.
“Many of the things we buy are becoming more expensive. Food, especially energy prices. We noticed that at the gas station, we noticed that when we had to pay the heating bill. Heating oil and gas are all much more expensive than last year. That’s why we have to prepare for it,” Scholz said in his video message “Kanzler compact” published on Saturday.
Germany had to agree with the others what needed to be done. “Because we will only be able to overcome the challenges of this new situation for all of us together. Politically, we want to discuss all of this internationally,” Scholz said, referring to the G7 nations meeting in Elmau, Bavaria, starting Sunday.
“This discussion club once started as a G6 with six countries, when Helmut Schmidt called everyone to talk about how we were going to handle the oil crisis at that time,” Scholz said. Now it’s about the current crisis and about stopping man-made climate change by turning away from the use of fossil fuels. One of its tasks is to set up a “climate club” in which countries that want to achieve this work together.
Scholz meets Biden
The G7 summit of democratic economic powers kicked off on Sunday with discussions on the global economic situation, the fight against climate change and security policies.
The focus of the three-day meeting chaired by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps was the Ukraine war and its consequences. Prior to the first working session, Scholz will meet US President Joe Biden, who is visiting Germany for the first time since taking office in early 2021.
Scholz is the host for the first time
In addition to Germany and the US, the G7 also includes France, Great Britain, Italy, Canada and Japan. In addition to the heads of state and government of these countries, EU Council President Charles Michel and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also took part in the summit. Scholz also invited five guest countries: Indonesia, India, South Africa, Senegal, and Argentina.
Scholz is hosting a major international summit for the first time. The “Group of Seven” does not make binding decisions, but is still considered an important forum for coordination between the most powerful western countries. The summit will conclude on Tuesday with a final declaration.
Scientists call for more money for climate protection
Shortly before the start of the summit, scientists asked for more money from participating countries for climate protection. More money is needed than the $100 billion that industrialized countries have promised countries particularly affected by global warming, said Axel Berger of the German Institute for Development and Sustainability in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
The “climate club” proposed by Scholz should also tackle the problems of developing countries and, for example, advance energy transition partnerships, Berger demanded. Macroeconomist Dennis Snower, president of the Global Solutions Initiative, a network of think tanks, says that social issues must also be addressed.
Multilateralism, namely the cooperation of states in international bodies and organizations, is under pressure, Snower said. Nevertheless, it remains important to solve problems that need to be addressed at the global level. Russia and its supporters cannot be completely excluded from all forums.
Snower and Berger speak at a press conference for the “Think7” think tank network, which accompanied Germany’s G7 presidency with scientific expertise. The group also recommends new ways to measure wealth more comprehensively than just gross domestic product. Environmental, educational and social policy issues should also be covered. Digital companies also need a uniform legal framework that gives users back control over their data.
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