The G20 summit of world’s leading economies adopted a comprehensive agenda yesterday (16 November) designed to boost investment to drive economic growth and to promote inclusiveness to ensure that all can equally share the benefits of their actions. The agenda also included the implementation of some past commitments. G20 leaders, which included Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, and Jean Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, concluded their gathering in Antalya, Turkey, following two days of intense talks.
The group also reiterated the urgent need to fight terrorism following the terrorist attacks in Paris on last Friday (13 November) and adopted a mutual statement addressing the financing of terrorism, the conditions leading to terrorist activity including recruitment and radicalization as well the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters. Moreover, G20 leaders also concluded that the European refugee crisis is of international concern and it therefore needed a comprehensive and coordinative approach to deal with its humanitarian, social, political and economic repercussions.
The EU also outlined its own priorities, which were set out in a joint letter to EU Heads of State or Government. The block identifies six major issues – a collective response to the refugee crisis, jobs, growth and investment, youth employment and social inclusion, fight against tax evasion and tax avoidance, trade opening, and UN negotiations on climate change. The 2015 G-20 Antalya summit was the tenth meeting of the G20 group. Turkey officially took over the presidency of the G20 from Australia on 1 December 2014, and China will preside over the summit next year. French President François Hollande did not attend the summit due to the Friday attacks and sent Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius as his representative.
