39th G8 summit held in Northern Ireland

39th G8 summit held in Northern Ireland

June 18th, 2013

• The 39^th G8 summit was held on June 17-18, 2013 at Lough Erne, Northern Ireland of United Kingdom. The summit was presided over by the U.K.

•   The earlier G8 summits hosted by the United Kingdom were held at London (1977, 1984, 1991), Birmingham (1998) and Gleneagles (2005).

• The official theme of the summit was tax evasion and transparency. 
•  However, the Syrian civil war dominated the talks. A seven-point plan on Syria was agreed after much debate. Other agreements included a way to automate the sharing of tax information, new rules for mining companies, and a pledge to end payments for kidnap victim releases. The United States and the European Union agreed to begin talks towards a broad trade agreement.

Besides eight nations, Jose Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Commission, and Herman Van Rompuy, the President of the European Council were also a part of the meet.
Who are the members of G8?

• G8 nations are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the USA and UK. 
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