Group of Seven/Group of Eight

Established: As the Group of Seven (G-7) during the San Juan, Puerto Rico, summit of leading industrial democracies held on June 27–28, 1976; first met as the kindred Group of Eight (G-8) after the addition of Russia as a formal participant at the May 15–17, 1998, G-7 summit in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

Purpose: To discuss problems relating to the functioning and structure of the world economy, the international monetary and banking systems, international trade, and other economic and political concerns.

Principal Organs: The G-8 has no formal organs as such. There are annual summits (currently at the G-8 level), twice-a-year (and ad hoc) meetings of finance ministers and central bank governors (usually at the G-7 level), and other meetings of government ministers and officials.

Web site: None, but ...