© BDI/Christian Kruppa

Business 7 – Strong and Reliable Partner of the G7

The role of the Business 7 (B7) is to consolidate the interests of the business community of the G7 countries and develop concrete and actionable recommendations. In performing that role, the B7 supports the G7 in effectively addressing global economic challenges. BDI represents German industry in the B7 and holds the presidency in 2022.

Under the German Presidency, the G8 launched an outreach process in 2007 to promote the exchange with civil society. As part of that process, the German government met with representatives of trade unions, youth associations, non-governmental organizations, business, and the scientific community from the G8 states. Since then, the dialogue with civil society has become an integral part of the G7 process. Each year it is conducted by the respective G7 presidency.

To coordinate the business position within this outreach process, the G8 Business Summit (B8) was established in 2007 on the initiative of BDI. Following Russia’s expulsion from the G8 in 2014, this group has functioned as the B7.

Linking the National with the International Level

The B7 comprises the leading business and industry federations of the G7 states. Within the B7, these organizations jointly tackle the topics on the G7 agenda and draw up concrete recommendations for action. Once a year, the B7 members meet with the respective G7 Presidency at the B7 summit to present those recommendations.

The B7 is thus an indispensable link between the national and international levels. By consolidating the interests of business in the G7 countries, it serves as a central partner for a constructive dialogue. Moreover, it makes a major contribution to global governance by supporting the G7 process with precise analysis and concrete proposals. Furthermore, it promotes the implementation of G7 commitments at the national level by contributing its expertise and monitoring progress.

The B7 members are:

  • BusinessEurope, European Union
  • Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC), Canada
  • Confederation of British Industry (CBI), United Kingdom
  • Confederation of Italian Industry (Confindustria), Italy
  • Federation of German Industries (BDI), Germany
  • Japanese Business Federation (Keidanren), Japan
  • Movement for French Enterprises (MEDEF), France
  • US Chamber of Commerce (USCC), United States

The G7 presidency under new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will operate under the motto “progress towards an equitable world” with the following key goals:

  • Strong alliances for a sustainable planet
  • Setting the course for economic stability and transformation
  • Enhanced preparedness for healthy lives
  • Sustained investments in a better future
  • Stronger together

BDI has taken over the B7 presidency for the second time from CBI in 2022. This presidency will address all key goals of the G7 presidency, delivering policy recommendations in six policy areas. The broad focus of the B7 presidency is recovery and moving forward from the coronavirus pandemic, including cooperation on infrastructure partnerships, pandemic preparedness, resilient supply chains, and further collaboration on carbon pricing. The B7 summit took place shortly before the G7 summit in June 2022.

 

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