The G7 summit in the French town of Évian begins against an unusually tense backdrop. Rioting has already broken out in Geneva, where the leaders of the seven major Western industrialized nations are arriving ahead of the official opening.
According to police, 20,000 people took part in a demonstration against the summit on Sunday. The protest was initially largely peaceful, but some participants later attacked security forces with bottles, stones and fireworks. Police used tear gas. Several buildings were damaged and at least one car was set on fire. Authorities reported “several” arrests but gave no precise figure.
France has prepared for a summit under exceptional security conditions. More than 13,000 police officers and gendarmes have been deployed in and around Évian-les-Bains on the southern shore of Lake Geneva. They are supported by motorcycle units, firefighters, bomb-disposal experts, sniffer dogs and specialists trained to respond to nuclear and chemical threats. Lake Geneva is also under surveillance. The nearby border with Switzerland has been closed except at a small number of crossings, while the spa town itself is largely sealed off.
Host Emmanuel Macron faces a twofold challenge. He must organize a G7 summit covering war, the economy, artificial intelligence and migration. Above all, he must keep US President Donald Trump engaged. After Trump left the 2025 G7 summit in Canada early, every effort is being made to avoid another escalation. The meeting was postponed by a day because Trump was celebrating his 80th birthday in Washington. Macron and Trump are due to conclude the summit with a dinner at the Palace of Versailles marking the 250th anniversary of American independence.
Iran Sets the Tone
The summit opens with a major foreign-policy development that is likely to dominate the agenda. Shortly before the meeting began, Trump announced a framework agreement to end the war with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The consequences for the global economy could be considerable. The strait is one of the world’s most important oil-trading routes. A prolonged closure would have placed further strain on energy prices, supply chains and financial markets.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed the agreement as a “diplomatic breakthrough”. The terms now had to be implemented, he added.
For Europe, that is where the difficult part begins. Germany, France and the United Kingdom had already prepared for a possible military mission to secure the trade route. In April, Merz raised the prospect of deploying minesweepers, a supply vessel and aerial reconnaissance capabilities.
Iran is also a test of Europe’s relationship with Trump. In recent weeks, the US president has expressed anger at what he regards as insufficient European support for his approach to the conflict. Critical remarks from Berlin even prompted an announcement that 5,000 US troops would be withdrawn from Germany. The allies now hope to stabilize transatlantic relations ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara in July.
Europe Seeks Trump’s Ear
The war in Ukraine will also be central to the discussions. Macron, Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have launched a new initiative with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to revive efforts to end the conflict. Zelensky is expected in Évian on Tuesday.
The Europeans want to prevent any new negotiations between Russia and Ukraine from being conducted exclusively through Washington. The United States has so far been regarded as the decisive intermediary. Trump, however, has recently been preoccupied with the Iran war. Paris, Berlin and London see an opportunity to strengthen Europe’s role in Ukraine diplomacy.
That will not be easy. European countries remain divided over Ukraine. The E3 initiative led by France, Germany and the United Kingdom has met with skepticism among eastern EU members such as Poland. They do not want the major Western European powers to speak for Europe alone. The summit will therefore also show whether Europe is capable of presenting Trump with a common position.
China Dominates the Economic Agenda
Alongside the wars, the economic situation will occupy a central place on the agenda. Much of the attention will be directed at China, although Beijing will not be represented at the table. G7 countries intend to discuss China’s trade surplus, access to critical raw materials and Western industries’ dependence on Chinese supplies. Such resources are essential for batteries, electric motors, solar panels and many emerging technologies, and China holds a powerful position in their production and processing.
Macron has made global imbalances the summit’s overarching theme. They include China’s export strength, Europe’s investment shortfall and high levels of US debt. The French president wants to place the global economy on a stronger path to growth. Climate policy will play a smaller role than at previous G7 meetings because the group lacks sufficient consensus.
Artificial intelligence is also on the agenda. France is seeking an agreement on the governance of AI and the protection of children online. Representatives of the technology industry are expected to attend, including OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and Arthur Mensch, chief executive of the French AI company Mistral AI. Irregular migration, drug trafficking, Ebola and cancer will also be discussed.
No Comprehensive Final Communiqué
No comprehensive joint communiqué is planned. The French presidency wants to avoid lengthy disputes over wording. It also hopes to prevent Trump from withdrawing his support from an agreed text at the last moment, as happened at an earlier G7 summit and caused considerable irritation. Instead, the participants are expected to issue statements on individual subjects. Where no agreement can be reached, France may set out the areas of agreement and disagreement in a chair’s summary.
The summit therefore opens with its central challenge. The G7 wants to demonstrate that it can act even though relations within the group are more strained than they have been for years. Macron, Merz and Starmer are all contending with weak poll ratings and economic difficulties at home. Trump arrives as the summit’s most powerful participant, and his position will largely determine how far the others can go.
The protests in Geneva have already demonstrated the scale of opposition to the gathering. For the participants in Évian, the priority is less symbolic unity than damage limitation and progress on individual agreements. Iran, Ukraine, China and the transatlantic crisis leave little room for diplomatic routine.
Whether Évian can be judged a success will therefore not depend on a grand declaration. The decisive questions are whether Macron can keep Trump at the table, whether Europe’s position on Ukraine is heard and whether the G7 can deliver more than diplomatic symbolism on Iran and China.