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\u00c9l\u00e9onore Caroit, right, pictured here with French President Emmanuel Macron. <\/p>\n
Keystone-SDA <\/p>\n
A French minister has expressed regret about how authorities in Switzerland and Geneva handled the run-up to the recent G7 summit in Evian (France).\n<\/p>\n
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July 11, 2026 – 12:25\n<\/p>\n
Rather than using the event to raise Geneva\u2019s profile, \u201cthere was a lack of openness from the outset\u201d, said \u00c9l\u00e9onore Caroit, the French Minister of State for Francophonie, International Partnerships and French Nationals Abroad, on Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a shame to only focus on the costs and the potential negative aspects [of the G7 and surrounding events],\u201d the French-Swiss minister told journalists in Geneva.<\/p>\n
For her, the event was \u201can opportunity to put international Geneva in the spotlight and to show the merits of this city as a centre of multilateralism and in hosting delegations\u201d. Caroit said she hoped it would be \u201ca shared lesson for the future\u201d. <\/p>\n
She declined to comment on the issue of covering the security costs in Geneva, since she is not involved in the negotiations on this. \u201cTo my knowledge, we have not received any statement of account or invoice from Switzerland,\u201d she said. She said cooperation \u2013 unlike at the 2003 G8 summit, when France reimbursed a big part of Swiss costs \u2013 was regulated by an agreement that came into force in 2008.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, unlike in 2003, no delegation stayed on Swiss territory in 2026. \u201cFrom the start, there were clear boundaries. In the end, at the request of the Swiss authorities, France did everything to ensure that Geneva was involved as little as possible in the organisation of the summit,\u201d Caroit said.<\/p>\n
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How can governments balance safety and the right to protest at the G7? <\/p>\n
The G7 summit to be held next June in France is causing security headaches for neighbouring Switzerland. Should authorities ban protests in Geneva and close the border with France?\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n View the discussion Costs of CHF31.6 million<\/p>\n On Wednesday, cantonal minister Carole-Anne Kast put the costs incurred by Geneva as a result of the summit at CHF31.6 million ($39.1 million). Of this, some CHF20 million will be borne by the canton, with the rest paid by the Swiss federal government.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the issue of security costs, Switzerland and France were unable to agree on a financial contribution from France,\u201d the Swiss foreign ministry told the Keystone-SDA news agency on Friday.<\/p>\n Authorities from both countries remain in contact on the various issues related to the summit. However, the prospect of a French contribution to security costs is low, the foreign ministry said.<\/p>\n The meeting of the heads of state and government of the leading Western industrialised nations (G7) took place from June 15-17 in Evian-les-Bains, France, on the French side of Lake Geneva. Many participants arrived via Geneva airport.<\/p>\n
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