Thursday, 09 July 2009
The President of the Government, Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, travelled to L'Aquila, in Italy, to take part n the Summit on Food Safety which will run parallel to the G-8 Summit. This is the first time that Spain is invited over to take part in a G-8 summit.
The President attended the EU coordination meeting this afternoon, during which the goals of the G-8 meetings – including the different measures to face the world financial crisis, the solution to the problems the international community is facing, climatic change and hunger - have been analysed.
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero pledged for EU leadership in the following axes: international financial crisis, climatic change and food safety.
The Spanish President also attended the dinner offered by the President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano, to the Heads of State and Government in L'Aquila, the city that has suffered the most serious consequences of the earthquake that hit Italy last 6 April and which caused nearly 300 casualties.
Food safety
Tomorrow, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and the general secretary of the UN, Ban Ki-moon, will open the last working session of the G-8 Summit, devoted to food safety, which will be attended by nearly thirty countries, including the main world economies, the emerging countries and several African States.
As far as this issue is concerned, for Spain there are three especially important questions: enhancing the political willingness to turn agriculture and food safety into a priority for the international community, improve the coordination of the different actions and mobilise new resources.
Tomorrow, the President will also visit the Spanish Fortress, built under the Spanish rule, which was also seriously damaged by the earthquake. Spain has undertaken to cooperate in the reconstruction works.
He will also hold bilateral meetings with the President of Russia, Dmitri Medvedev, and with the Prime Ministers of Canada, Stephen Harper; Holland, Jan Peter Balkenende; and Sweden, Fredrik Reinfeldt.
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