Eighth Edition of G8 Speakers' Meeting Held in Rome
13/09/09
The annual meeting of the speakers of the G8 member countries' parliaments, which has been attended also by the speakers of the parliaments of Brasil, China, Egypt, India and South Africa, has wound up in Rome. The two-day talks were broken down into three working sessions focusing on the role played by parliaments.
On the first day, 12 September, the speakers addressed the issue of "the use of new communications technologies in relations between parliaments and civil society". After addresses from Chamber of Deputies Speaker Gianfranco Fini, from French Assemblée Nationale Speaker Bernard Accoyer, and from US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the speakers' delegation was received by the President of the Republic at the Quirinale Palace. In his welcome address, Napolitano highlighted the irreplaceable role that parliamentary assemblies play in democracies. In the evening the G8 speakers attended a dinner in the presence of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at the Villa Madama.
The agenda for the final day, 13 September, began with a morning session devoted to the topic of "the role played by parliaments in promoting intercultural dialogue and social integration", with the introductory address being delivered by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The talks continued in the afternoon with a meeting, expanded – for the very first time in the history of G8 speakers' meetings – to include speakers from parliaments in emerging countries, on "the contribution of parliaments to the struggle against drug trafficking and organized crime". The session opened with an introductory address delivered by Antonio Costa, the executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The final news conference can be seen both on the website and on the Italian Chamber of Deputies' satellite channel. On Monday morning Nancy Pelosi will be accompanying Chamber of Deputies Speaker Gianfranco Fini to L'Aquila to visit the area hit by the earthquake and to open a kindergarten in Villa Sant'Angelo.
