Stories from Evian · France

Demonstrations are planned against the G7 summit in Evian.

Protesters damaged storefronts and shops in the city center of Evian-les-Bains, leading to violent clashes with police during the G7 summit. Damages amounted to several tens of millions of Swiss Francs.

French Minister Caroy announced pledged aid for the reconstruction of the protective shield around the damaged reactor block in Chernobyl. The reactor block was damaged last year by a Russian drone. The announcement was made during a press conference ahead of the G7 summit scheduled for mid-June in Evian, France. The source noted that disagreements remain on issues such as climate policy between the US and Germany. Details regarding the specific nature of the aid remain unclear. Minister Karoa noted that friction points remain regarding climate policy, specifically where US views differ from Germany.

OECD data shows that donor country spending on development aid has decreased by 23 percent. The United States and France, the host of this year's G7 summit, have implemented budget cuts. G7 development aid ministers are preparing for a summit in Evian in mid-June to discuss effective aid strategies with reduced funding. German Minister Riem Alabali-Radovan stated to ARD in Paris that public funds will no longer be sufficient to address major global challenges. The German government is also expected to fall short of the 0.7 percent of gross national income target for development aid. A German minister stated that development aid systems require reform to increase efficiency and reduce fragmentation. The minister noted that the United Nations needs to become more efficient by addressing parallel structures.