The European Union at the G7 Summit

In his press conference ahead of the G7 i summit, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker i set out the EU’s position on the economy, on growth, taxation, trade and climate change.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, together with European Council President Donald Tusk, represented the EU at this year’s G7 Summit, from 7 to 8 June in Schloss Elmau (Germany). G7 leaders discussed the global economy, taxation, trade, climate change, development issues as well as foreign affairs.

In his pre-summit press conference, President Juncker reminded that, although the EU is back on a path towards economic growth (1.8% in 2015 and 2.1% in 2016 according to prognoses), more efforts should be made in the field of budgetary consolidation and structural reforms, and also by closing the investment gap through the European Commission’s Investment Plan for Europe. He also highlighted the Commission’s proposals on automatic exchange of tax information and on the fight against tax evasion. On trade, President Juncker stressed the importance of external trade for the EU in terms of employment. He also underscored the leading role of the EU in climate change policy.

A full transcript of President Juncker’s pre-summit press conference, including questions and answers on Greece and climate change policy, is available in the European Commission’s Press Release Database.