Brussels, 21/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - The G8's “imperative” is to promote growth and jobs. It also commits to strengthen free trade and protect investments.
Meeting on 18 and 19 May, the leaders of the G8 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom, United States and the EU) agreed to take the necessary measures to strengthen and re-energise their economies and to promote growth and jobs. “Robust international trade, investment and market integration are key drivers of strong sustainable and balanced growth”, the final declaration states, reaffirming the attachment shown by G8 countries to market opening and to a strong, rule-based, multilateral trading system. They also pledge: “We will honour our commitment to refrain from protectionist measures, protect investments and pursue bilateral, plurilateral, and multilateral efforts, consistent with and supportive of the WTO framework, to reduce barriers to trade and investment and maintain open markets”. They go on to stress: “We call on the broader international community to do likewise”, and recommend that an international effort be made to enhance regulatory coherence and standardisation.
The G8 statement also devotes a chapter to intellectual property rights, for which high protective standards are advocated, including through international legal instruments and mutual assistance agreements, government procurement processes, and private sector voluntary codes of best practice. With a view to protecting public health and consumer safety, they also commit to sharing best practice on combating counterfeit medical products. (EH/transl.jl)