G8 summit: promoting global fairness through trade, taxation and transparency
Ahead of the 2013 G8 summit in Northern Ireland (UK), President Barroso sets out the EU’s views on the main topics on the agenda.
The G8 summit in Lough Erne, Northern Ireland on June 17-18 has three "Ts" as priorities: trade and the economy, taxation and transparency.
The President presents his views on these main issues in the summit magazine 
published by the G8 Research Group of the University of Toronto.
Regarding trade, President Barroso underlines the fact that the EU's bilateral trade agreements are a "stepping stone" towards wider multilateral global trade. He notes that the EU has always been a staunch supporter and promoter of free and multilateral trade. For example, the EU is fully engaged with its partners to conclude a WTO trade facilitation agreement, which would have a huge positive impact for developing and least developed countries.
"The G8 summit should make the case for such an agreement and then, together with the G20, provide the political impulse needed to close the deal at the WTO ministerial meeting in Bali in December. This G8 should also back and outline actions to further trade in Africa, for example by lowering trade costs, stimulating infrastructure financing and coordinating support better", President Barroso says in the article.
On the second T, taxation, President Barroso strongly welcomes the G8's willingness to join forces and cooperate more effectively to fight tax evasion and avoidance, in Europe and worldwide.
Within the EU, common action is being taken on exchange of information, on tax havens and on aggressive tax planning. President Barroso describes the G8 summit as a great opportunity to inject further momentum at the global level.
"The EU would strongly support a joint effort towards a new multilateral standard in the context of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. We believe that our EU savings tax directive can be an important point of reference here", says the President.
As for the third T, transparency, President Barroso highlights the update of the EU transparency and accounting directives which make the EU a global pioneer in legislating on transparency in extractive industries – such as mining – and forestry. He also urges more countries to join in the global effort to subscribe to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.
He notes that transparency should also be further enhanced on land tenure by pushing for the implementation of the ground-breaking Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security in May 2012.
Read the full summit magazine of the Toronto University G8 Research Group
Read President Barroso's statement after meeting OECD Secretary General Gurría on 13 June 2013
Watch President Barroso's statement after meeting OECD Secretary General Gurría on 13 June 2013