ABSTRACT
The crisis of the 1970s led to an intensification of bilateral and multilateral diplomatic contacts and the creation of new bodies, such as the European Council and the Economic Summits (the later G7), which took a leading role in reshaping Western governance. This chapter explores to what extent the informal procedures of early summitry were vital to the development of the G7 as a crucial foreign policy instrument. It argues that European ideas, initiatives and reactions shaped the institutionalisation of Western summitry. Informality and flexibility – which characterised the early G7 meetings – were attacked early on by participants, prompted by a sense of dissatisfaction with the ‘practical results’ of the summits, leading to efforts to create more formalised and structured meetings. This chapter first analyses how this sense of dissatisfaction developed across the Atlantic, and what attempts were made by different actors to repurpose summitry. Furthermore, the chapter analyses the European Commission’s bid to participate directly in the G7 summits, engendering a rethinking in Europe regarding the purpose of these summits. The inclusion of Community institutions was certain to produce an increased formalisation and creeping bureaucratisation, which shaped the G7 significantly.
