Spain has been invited to attend the next G8 conference which is being held in the Italian town of L’Aquila from the 8th to the 10th of July. The invitation was the idea of Italian president, Silvio Berlusconi.
The so-called G8 are a group of industrialised countries whose political, economic and military status is very important on a global scale.It comprises Germany, Canada, United States, France, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and Russia.
G8 membership is not actually based on any single criterion, since it does not consist of the eight most industrialized nations, is not related to the highest per capita incomes or even those with a greater Gross Domestic Product.
The G8 has its origins back to March 1973 when, at the request of the US Secretary of Treasury, George Shultz, a meeting was held involving the finance ministers of United States, Japan, West Germany, Italy, France and the United Kingdom. The G6.
In 1976, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Canada joined this merry little band, making it the G7.
In 1998, with the integration of Russia, it became the G7 + Russia or G8.