Are the G20 already a kind of brand whose name should definitely be held on to? With the admission of the African Union, at least the question of a renaming arises.
The G20 has grown for the first time since it was founded in 1999. At the summit in India, the group of states agreed to include the African Union (AU) as a second regional organization alongside the European Union. But it is still unclear what will become of the name. Will the G20 be called the G21 in the future?
The incumbent G20 president, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, does not give the impression that he is in favor of a renaming. “I am honored to welcome the African Union as a permanent member of the G20 family,” he said on Saturday after the enlargement decision. G21 was not heard from anyone else in New Delhi.
However, there is something to be said for a name change. For 24 years, the G20 has consisted of 19 economically strong industrialized and emerging countries and the EU as a regional organization, which is counted as a full member of the group. This should actually also apply to the AU, which is comparable to the EU – also in order to meet the requirement of a partnership on equal terms between the states of the global North and South. The main argument for keeping the current name is that G20 is a brand that should not be changed.
Addition of additional members possible
In the case of the G7 of leading Western democracies, the counting method in the name is different. The EU is a full member there too. However, it is not counted, only the seven states that belong to the group. If you applied this principle to the G20, you would have to call it G19.
The G7 has been expanded or reduced several times – and the name has always been changed. In 1975, the group was founded by the USA, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy and Japan as the “Group of Six” at a first summit at Rambouillet Castle near Paris. The forerunners were meetings of finance ministers of the G5 – still without Italy.
As early as 1976, Canada joined as number seven and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia was gradually integrated into the group of states – until full membership in 2002. However, the G8 only existed for a few years. After the Russian annexation of the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula in 2014, Russia was excluded again and the G8 became the G7 again.
By the way, the question of renaming to G21 could soon be resolved for another reason. It is quite possible that more members will be added. According to participants, the regional organizations Asean of Southeast Asian countries and Celac of Latin American and Caribbean countries have already asserted their right to be admitted to the club at the summit in New Delhi. Nigeria is also aiming to join the G20 as the most populous and economically strongest country in Africa.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
