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Emmanuel Macron multiplied during this first day of the G7 in Biarritz. After a televised address to the French, he had lunch with Donald Trump, had an interview with Angela Merkel, met his European counterparts and had dinner with the heads of delegations of the G7 member countries. The president has posted his ambitions and his method, while the second day promises busy for the leaders of the seven most industrialized countries on the planet.
With our special envoys in Biarritz, Valérie Gas and Nicolas Falez
The first dinner of this G7 was intended to untie the languages and to bring closer the points of view by creating the personal link. This is why Emmanuel Macron wanted it "informal" at the foot of the Biarritz lighthouse, in a magnificent setting that the President has chosen to discover to his guests.
With a Basque-style dinner - piperade on the menu - concocted by two prestigious chefs. But also talks for about three hours that focused on the initiative for Iran, Ukraine and the Amazon.
The Amazon at the heart of the discussions
On the environment, Emmanuel Macron wants to answer the "call of the forest" and the " call of the ocean ". He said so in his speech this Saturday, as a prelude to the opening of the G7 summit in Biarritz, which must address environmental emergencies. " We are all concerned, " added the French president about the fires in Brazil, remembering that with Guyana France was an Amazonian country.
" What we are waiting for today are clear political commitments. If Emmanuel Macron wants to avoid deforestation in the Amazon, there are solutions. We must limit deforestation by limiting imports of soya, limiting meat imports, thus reducing meat consumption at the French level, changing the agricultural model and, above all, rejecting international agreements that will speed up this deforestation. This is one of the things to do, including the agreement with Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay), but also just the Ceta that has just been ratified with Canada (July 23), "said Lucile Dufour , from Réseau Action Clima-France.
Present in Biarritz, the environmental activist calls for more consistency in the policies of the French president. She notes that the situation in Brazil and in the Amazon rainforest is not new. " There is a lot of talk right now around this issue of the Amazon. And indeed, it is a crisis that must be resolved, this crisis of the Amazon rainforest is going up in smoke. But it is not a crisis that dates from yesterday. It has been months since this forest, attacked by deforestation, is also attacked by a complete lack of policy to limit the impact on forests. "
A carefully studied dinner
But let's get back to the table of Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump . In this dinner, everything has been carefully studied, the table plan for example. To Emmanuel Macron's left, Donald Trump was close to him to continue talking after their one-to-one lunch that had already lasted two hours. Once again, the American president is the man to convince from the summit, about the Iranian crisis, international trade, the digital world, the climate.
The American president also reacted on Twitter to his interview with the President of the Republic and the first day spent in Biarritz.
France and President @EmmanuelMacron have done a great job G-7. Lunch with Emmanuel was the best meeting we had yet had. Likewise, evening meeting with World Leaders went very well. Progress being made!
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 24, 2019" The lunch with Emmanuel was the best meeting we had so far. In the same way, the evening meetings with the world leaders went very well. Progress is made! Said the US president.
And in the entourage of Emmanuel Macron, it is stated that convergences are possible. On Iran for example, the Elysee explains that Donald Trump does not want " the confrontation, but a deal". On the climate, Emmanuel Macron explained his coalition research on textile, maritime transport. Explaining, lowering pressure, creating spaces for negotiation is the goal of Emmanuel Macron.
The economy at the leaders' table today
International Economics and Trade on the agenda of a first session this morning. This is a big topic of the G7, in the midst of worry for an economy that is showing signs of slowing down against a background of commercial tension.
While many countries are on the verge of recession, Germany, Japan, the United States ..., Emmanuel Macron asked the G7 countries to find " new ways to revive growth ." In particular, he called " countries with fiscal space to invest in education and employment ". A foot call to Germany who is still reluctant to do so.
Signs of recession
" All the warning signs are there to say that there is going to be a fairly significant recession likely to be in progress by 2020, all over the world. In general, both interest rates and fiscal stimulus need to be lowered in these cases. Interest rates are already all at zero or below, they are negative. So we will be able to lower them a little, but that is useless because inflation is close to zero to lower the interest rate. So we will do it, but it is not enough at all , "says economist Jacques Delpla.
The economist at the Asterion Foundation, believes: " What is important today is that there is a revival of fiscal policy, that is to say larger budget deficits. So they are already wide in Japan and the United States. They are quite large in the United Kingdom, France and Italy. "
" Budget stimulus " ?
" So the country that has the most opportunity to make fiscal stimulus is Germany, which is in budget surplus today. So all the current speech of Macron and other European leaders on the need for a fiscal stimulus, it is only for Angela Merkel and his Parliament, "he continues.
G7 leaders must then continue their discussions on security issues. Heads of State and Government will also hold bilateral talks. Then they will meet again for a lunch dedicated to the fight against inequalities, priority of the France organizing this summit.This theme, it will be found in the early afternoon when the leaders of the G7 will hear the recommendations of the Advisory Council for gender equality.
Women's entrepreneurship
The African continent will be discussed in the presence of G7 African guests: South Africa, Senegal , Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Egypt. The Sahel will give rise to the only press conference announced this Sunday. At the table of discussions, we will also talk about women's entrepreneurship in Africa.
At the end of the day, the leaders of other invited countries will be welcomed: India, Australia, Chile and neighboring Spain, countries that France wanted to associate with the work of the G7, especially because it considers that these are great democracies involved in protecting the planet.