Analytical Studies > Analysis on the 2017 Toarmina Summit
G8 Summits > 2017 Taormina Summit

Taormina Summit: What Experience Makes a Host Produce a Successful Summit?

Alessandra Cicci and John Kirton, G7 Research Group
June 9, 2017

The 43rd G7 summit, held in Taormina, Italy, was one of the most challenging summits for the club as the leaders gathered to discuss the world's most pressing issues and possible action the G7 could take. This year's summit in particular was important for Italy as the country has been overwhelmed by the massive influx of migrants, and has suffered from low growth and high youth unemployment. Moreover, it was the first time newly elected Italian prime minister Paolo Gentiloni has hosted a G7 summit.

Yet, in comparison to past hosts, both first timers and veterans, Gentiloni is unusual in many respects. First, Gentiloni unexpectedly became the leader of Italy a few months before the summit started, after former prime minister Matteo Renzi resigned upon a defeat in a national referendum. Gentiloni also hosted the summit before having secured an electoral mandate of his own, and working off of his predecessor's agenda for the meeting. Second, Gentiloni leads a complex and shaky coalition government that depends on other members for its legislative survival. Third, having served as his country's foreign minister in the past, unlike any U.S. leader, Gentiloni brought to the table previous international experience.

Does this distinctive combination of characteristics mean Gentiloni was more likely to produce a summit of success? Did Gentiloni's unique experience as foreign minister benefit him in his discussions with the other G7 leaders, or did his young government prove to disadvantage him? The three characteristics — whether it was the first summit for the host, whether the host had direct control of the legislature and whether the host had past experience as a foreign minister — did not have a significant effect on summit success. In analyzing the success of past summit hosts, the results show that the three variables may be factors in the number of commitments produced, but do not necessarily on their own cause an increase in the number of commitments made.

Over the previous 42 G7 summits, the highest number of commitments made was from the 2015 Schloss Elmau Summit, with 376 (see appendix). German chancellor Angela Merkel had hosted previous summits, but has never held the position of foreign minister and has never held a majority government. Her 2007 summit also scored second in regards to the number of commitments made.

At Russian president Vladimir Putin's 2006 St. Petersburg Summit, 317 commitments were made, coming in third place. Putin had attended previous summits as a leader, but lacked the experience as a foreign minister and did not hold a majority government.

The summits that produced the lowest number of commitments were mostly earlier ones. The number of commitments remained relatively low until the mid 1990s and early 2000s, with the exception of the Denver Summit in 1997. The 2002 Kananaskis Summit started the trend of a high quantities of commitments. Throughout the 2000s, there were never fewer than 100 commitments, with the exception of the 2010 Muskoka Summit. It is possible that this increase can be attributed to the global impacts of 9/11 and rapid globalization.

What did this mean for Gentiloni at Taormina? Although there may be a correlation among the three variables, it does not necessarily mean that they are causal, and that they lead directly to the success or failure of a summit host. Gentiloni's unique situation may have played a role in the success of the Taormina Summit, but the data do not prove whether the three variables had a significant impact on that result.

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Appendix: List of Experienced G6/7/8 Summit Hosts 1975-2017

Summit	Host country	Host leader	First summit	Direct control of legislature	Foreign ministerial service	Number of commitments
1975	Rambouillet, France	Valery Giscard d'Estaing	Yes	Yes	No	15
1976	San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States	Gerald R. Ford	No	Yes	No	10
1977	London, United Kingdom	James Callaghan	No	Yes	Yes	55
1978	Bonn, West Germany	Helmut Schmidt	No	No	No	50
1979	Tokyo, Japan	Masayoshi Ohira	Yes	No	Yes	34
1980	Venice, Italy	Francesco Cossiga	No	No	No	55
1981	Ottawa, Canada	Pierre E. Trudeau	No	Yes	No	40
1982	Versailles, France	Francois Mitterrand	No	Yes	No	23
1983	Williamsburg, United States	Ronald Reagan	No	Yes	No	38
1984	London, United Kingdom	Margaret Thatcher	No	Yes	No	31
1985	Bonn, West Germany	Helmut Kohl	No	Yes	No	24
1986	Tokyo, Japan	Yasuhiro Nakasone	No	Yes	No	39
1987	Venice, Italy	Amintore Fanfani	No	No	Yes	53
1988	Toronto, Canada	Brian Mulroney	No	Yes	No	27
1989	Paris, France	Francois Mitterrand	No	Yes	No	61
1990	Houston, United States	George H. W. Bush	No	Yes	No	78
1991	London, United Kingdom	John Major	Yes	Yes	Yes	53
1992	Munich, Germany	Helmut Kohl	No	No	No	41
1993	Tokyo, Japan	Kiichi Miyazawa	No	Yes	Yes	29
1994	Naples, Italy	Silvio Berlusconi	Yes	No	No	53
1995	Halifax, Canada	Jean Chretien	No	Yes	No	78
1996	Lyon, France	Jacques Chirac	No	Yes	No	59
1997	Denver, United States	Bill Clinton	No	Yes	No	145
1998	Birmingham, United Kingdom	Tony Blair	No	Yes	No	73
1999	Koln, Germany	Gerhard Schroder	Yes	No	No	46
2000	Okinawa, Japan	Yoshiro Mori	Yes	No	No	105
2001	Genoa, Italy	Silvio Berlusconi	No	Yes	No	58
2002	Kananaskis, Canada	Jean Chretien	No	Yes	No	187
2003	Evian-les-Bains, France	Jacques Chirac	No	Yes	No	206
2004	Sea Island, United States	George W. Bush	No	Yes	No	253
2005	Gleneagles, United Kingdom	Tony Blair	No	Yes	No	212
2006	St. Petersburg, Russia	Vladimir Putin	No	No	No	317
2007	Heiligendamm, Germany	Angela Merkel	No	No	No	329
2008	Hokkaido, Japan	Yasuo Fukuda	Yes	Yes	No	206
2009	L'Aquila, Italy	Silvio Berlusconi	No	No	No	254
2010	Muskoka Canada	Stephen Harper	No	No	No	73
2011	Deauville, France	Nicolas Sarkozy	No	Yes	No	193
2012	Camp David, United States	Barack Obama	No	No	No	141
2013	Lough Erne, United Kingdom	David Cameron	No	No	No	214
2014	Brussels, Belgium (European Union)	Herman Van Rompuy and José Manuel Barroso	No	-	-	141
2015	Elmau, Germany	Angela Merkel	No	No	No	376
2016	Ise-Shima, Japan	Shinzo Abe	No	Yes	No	196
2017	Taormina, Italy	Paolo Gentiloni	Yes	No	Yes	180

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