Dr Axel Berger nominated as Think7 Task Force Co-Chair

This nomination unfolds in a context of G7/T7’s shift to France, a new book on G7 and looming US challenges.

The G7 has been an often influential alliance navigating and shaping turbulent times and has commemorated its 50 year anniversary this year. A newly published landmark research publication “The Elgar Companion to the G7” reviews the turbulent past and assesses the uncertain future of the alliance, including contributions by IDOS researchers on the G7 and climate change (Dr Steffen Bauer, Prof. Clara Brandi, Dr Mariya Aleksandrova), the G7 and gender equality (Alma Wisskirchen and Dr Sören Hilbrich), and the question of “diminishing importance of the G7: permanent or temporary?” (Dr Axel Berger). The book was launched on December 10 in an event hosted by the Embassy of Canada, the Embassy of France, the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), where Axel Berger represented IDOS.

As the G7 presidency – and accordingly T7 leadership – moves from Canada to France, one key question, in particular for the T7 and T20 context, will be how the link to the G20/T20 can be shaped and commitments to constructive collaboration and sustainability can be protected, where difficult times are expected under US presidency. Axel Berger has been nominated as Co-Chair of the T7 Taskforce on “Strengthening coherence between investment agreements and sustainable development commitments”, contributing to this important process.