G7 summit: Greek bailout, Ukraine and climate top agenda for Bavaria meeting

Germany, June-7 David Cameronjoins the G7 summit of leading industrialized nations in Bavaria expecting to face a crowded agenda dominated by Ukraine, the Greek bailout and climate change.

The summit host, German chancellor Angela Merkel, had fought hard to seal a deal with the Greek government before the summit, but failed, ensuring US president Barack Obama will want an update on how close Europe is to ending an impasse that is still hanging over the world economy.

The summit starts on Sunday and is being held in the remote Schloss Elmau in Bavaria, and as many as 20,000 police are on patrol in nearby towns to minimise disruption by G7 protesters.

The EU council president, Donald Tusk, and the EU commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, as well as the director of the IMF Christine Lagarde, will be present to update the president on the state of the bailout talks now not due to reach a climax until the end of the month.

Merkel and the French president, François Hollande, phoned the Greek prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, at the weekend, and it was agreed the three politicians are likely to meet in Brussels on Wednesday evening on the edge of the EU summit with Latin America and the Caribbean.

Obama will be pressing the Europeans to show more resolve to maintain sanctions against Russia.

Other topics Merkel has tabled for the summit under the motto “Think ahead, act together” range from improving labour rights for textile workers to fighting antibiotics resistance and cleaning up oceanic pollution.

Source:Theguardian.com