France 2026
IEA contributions to the G7
From the left; Roland Lescure Minister of the Economy, Finance, and Industrial, Energy, and Digital Sovereignty of France, IEA Executive Director Dr Fatih Birol and François Villeroy de Galhau, former Governor of the Bank of France.
In 2026, France holds the Presidency of the Group of Seven (G7), with a focus on addressing global imbalances and creating mutually beneficial partnerships. France’s cross-cutting G7 priorities as announced by President Emmanuel Macron include:
Resolving major geopolitical crises
Strengthening the resilience of critical mineral value chains
Fighting against organized crime and illicit flows
Establishing new rules for global governance
The 52nd G7 Leaders' Summit was held in Évian-les-Bains from 15–17 June 2026. Among several G7 declarations, Leaders endorsed two signature initiatives with relevance to the energy sector that included explicit mention of the IEA:
The Declaration for a More Balanced, Durable and Resilience Growth, recognizes the importance of cooperation with the IEA to strengthen economic resilience through diversified and reliable supply chains and efficient energy systems. Leaders also encouraged oil-importing countries to establish sufficient and efficient oil reserve systems, in line with the IEA’s requirement to maintain 90-day reserves, to enhance crisis management and mitigate their impact.
The Declaration on Securing Supply Chains for Critical Minerals positions the IEA as a key technical partner for strengthening critical minerals security, including through the Critical Minerals Security Programme and data capabilities. It calls on the IEA to support traceability, market monitoring, stockpile information sharing, supply-crisis preparedness, early warning, and coordinated responses to market distortions and supply chain vulnerabilities.
In the lead up to the Leaders’ Summit, the French G7 Presidency requested support from the IEA to provide policy advice and analysis focused on two key areas:
Energy Security and economic resilience, notably in the context of the global energy crisis sparked by the conflict in the Middle East
Critical minerals, with a focus on supply chain diversification, investment and financing, stockpiling, emergency preparedness and traceability.
Energy Security and Economic Resilience
On 9 March, at the invitation of Minister Roland Lescure of France, IEA Executive Director Dr Fatih Birol participated in a virtual G7 Finance Ministers’ meeting convened to discuss the global economic situation in the context of the Middle East conflict. Dr Birol provided an update on the IEA’s view of conditions in global oil markets and the challenges of transit through the Strait of Hormuz, which created the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.
G7 Finance Ministers’ Communiqué, March 9
On 10 March, the IEA hosted a meeting of G7 Energy Ministers at our headquarters in Paris, chaired by Minister Lescure. Dr Birol provided an update on the IEA’s view of the situation in global oil and gas markets. Ministers discussed the available options for addressing the supply disruption, including making IEA emergency oil stocks available to the market. The participation of the IEA was recognized in the G7 Energy Ministers’ Communiqué which underscored the close collaboration between the IEA and the G7 on energy security and welcomed the use of proactive measures to address the situation, including the use of strategic reserves.
G7 Energy Ministers’ Communiqué, March 10
On March 11, IEA member countries unanimously agreed to make 400 million barrels of oil from their emergency reserves available to the market to address disruptions in oil markets stemming from the war in the Middle East – the largest-ever release coordinated by the Agency. G7 Leaders later welcomed this announcement as a clear and timely signal to global markets.
Statement by the G7 Presidency, March 11
On 30 March, at the invitation of Minister Lescure, Dr Birol participated in a Joint G7 Energy and Finance Ministers’ and Central Bank Governors’ meeting focused on the global economic outlook and the evolving impacts of the conflict in the Middle East. Dr Birol delivered the opening address, focused on how the impacts of the war could spread and on the IEA’s work to support market stability.
G7 Energy and Finance Ministers’ and Central Bank Governors’ Communiqué, March 30
On 18 May, IEA Executive Director Dr Fatih Birol participated in the G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting held in Paris. Dr Birol briefed Ministers and Governors about escalating market pressures due to the Middle East conflict, as well as investment needs for diversification of critical mineral value chains.
G7 Finance Ministers’ and Central Bank Governors’ Communiqué, May 19
Critical Minerals
On 7 May, the IEA was invited to participate in a G7 Ministerial Meeting on Critical Raw Materials, where Chief Economist Tim Gould delivered presentations on critical mineral value chain diversification, as well as stockpiles and emergency response. These presentations served to showcase the breadth and depth of the IEA’s critical minerals work, spanning data, analysis, and actionable recommendations that directly support G7 policy discussions.
France Convenes G7 Ministers and Partners to Accelerate Securing Supplies
On 10 June, the IEA participated in the G7 Critical Minerals Investment Forum on the margins of the Business 7 (B7) Summit. The forum brought together industrial and financial actors in a roundtable format to discuss the diversification of critical mineral supply chains. Chief Economist Tim Gould intervened in the roundtable to highlight the latest IEA critical minerals analysis from the 2026 World Energy Investment report, and the IEA’s role in advancing security of supply discussions through the Critical Minerals Security Programme.