Resilience, responsibility, sustainability – these are the key themes of Germany’s G20 Presidency. Thus, the German Presidency under Chancellor Angela Merkel will have a strong focus on addressing how globalization can be made both robust and sustainable. The portfolio of the traditional G20 topics will be strategically expanded in this direction. As a result, global climate change, the causes of the refugee crisis and the risk of epidemics will now stand firmly on the G20 agenda. Reflecting this development, the G20 foreign ministers will meet for the first time in 2017. While the G20 was founded to ensure an appropriate response to global economic and financial crises, it is increasingly serving as a central steering body to tackle global economic issues and establish a global regulatory framework. It lays down the strategic principles for the regulatory environment in which companies operate worldwide. In parallel with Germany’s G20 Presidency, the leading German business associations – the BDI, the BDA and the DIHK – have assumed the Presidency of Business 20 (B20), which conducts the official business dialogue of the G20. Under the umbrella of the B20, hundreds of specialists from industry and business associations from all G20 member states work together. This gives German industry the unique opportunity to help define the main planks of the global economy. We will seize this opportunity to make the global economic system robust and viable for the future. The goal is a crisis-proof, responsible, forward-looking and sustainable global economy.
Dr. Stormy-Annika Mildner
Sherpa for Business 20 in 2017 |