1. We, the Speakers and Presidents of the lower houses of the G7 legislatures, together with the President of the European Parliament and the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, met in Paris, France, on September 10-12, 2026. Our 24th meeting was an opportunity to reaffirm the vital role our legislatures play in democratic life and to call for closer inter-parliamentary cooperation. We discussed how our legislatures, against a backdrop of growing public skepticism, can strengthen the bond of trust with citizens by making our work more transparent and open, and by involving citizens, as well as civil society as a whole, more closely in our activities. At a time when global crises increasingly shape public debate, we examined how legislatures exercise their oversight role and powers in the fields of foreign and defence policy. Finally, we shared our experiences and the common challenges raised by the use of artificial intelligence (AI) within our legislatures, a new technology which we must use in our work and regulate through legislation.
2. We reaffirm our commitment to diplomacy and multilateral cooperation to peacefully settle disputes. Building on the G7 Evian Summit and the G7 leaders’ statement on geopolitical issues, we strongly reiterate our unwavering support for Ukraine in its struggle against Russia’s ongoing aggression. We reaffirm our full and complete solidarity with the Ukrainian people as they defend their freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity. We will continue to support Ukraine in its fight to remain independant and for a just and lasting peace. We also reaffirm our commitment to Ukraine's aspirations for European integration and its presence in the Euro-Atlantic community.
3. In the Middle East, we strongly support a robust and comprehensive diplomatic agreement with Iran that can bring peace and security for the benefit of the people throughout the region and we reaffirm the right of free maritime passage without restrictions or tolls. We underline the need to address the threats posed by Iran in the region and beyond and ensure that they never obtain a nuclear weapon. In Lebanon, a lasting ceasefire that enables the disarmament of Hezbollah and respects the country’s sovereignty, must prevail. In Gaza, we support accelerating humanitarian and reconstruction efforts and the swift implementation of relevant political and security measures, including the disarmament of Hamas. We call for ending violence and terrorism in the West Bank and for the protection of civilians. In Africa, we call for an immediate end to hostilities in Sudan, the protection of civilians and unhindered humanitarian access to address the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis, and support renewed efforts towards a peaceful and inclusive Sudanese-led political process.
I. MAKING legislatures MORE OPEN, TRANSPARENT AND ACCESSIBLE TO CITIZENS
4. We note with concern a growing mistrust toward public institutions across many democracies, particularly toward legislatures and elected representatives – a trend that can be reflected in declining voter turnout in some countries. Yet local and national elections remain a cornerstone of democratic life, providing citizens with the opportunity to express their views and political choices. Democracy, however, does not end at the ballot box. In order to reinvigorate democracy and renew citizens’ trust in their institutions, we, as legislators, need to explain democratic processes more effectively and must seize every opportunity to engage citizens more in the decisions that affect them.
5. We discussed the various tools that can help sustain democracy. These include measures to open up our legislatures to all citizens, the broadcasting of parliamentary debates, increasing the availability of digital tools giving access to legislative work, as well as petitions, citizens’ assemblies, various methods of public consultation and the implementation of educational programmes and outreach initiatives.
6. We commend these initiatives, developed or supported by legislatures, for enhancing the transparency of legislative work, widening access to public debates and opening up our institutions to society as a whole. Such measures make an effective contribution to addressing the public mistrust that weakens our democracies.
II. EMPHASIZING THE UNIQUE ROLE OF legislatures IN FOREIGN AND DEFENCE POLICY
7. Legislatures play a fundamental role in the balance of powers with regard to the foreign and defence policies of our states, even though – in accordance with our respective constitutional traditions – our executive branches bear primary responsibility for defining and conducting international relations. Legislatures thus contribute to the legitimacy, transparency and democratic oversight of these policies.
8. Legislatures exercise essential responsibilities: they approve budgetary appropriations and scrutinize government action, in particular during Executive statements to the assemblies. In some States, they can also authorise, monitor or review the government’s conduct of overseas military operations and intelligence activities, whilst respecting the imperatives of national security and international law. The procedure for authorising the ratification of certain international treaties and conventions can also constitute a key function of the legislature.
9. Parliamentary diplomacy is a valuable tool for dialogue and bridge-building between people – complementing, enriching and expanding the diplomatic efforts of our governments. We commend the leadership and drive shown by the Speakers and Presidents of legislatures in this regard, as well as the contribution made by inter-parliamentary cooperation and exchanges, which foster “on the ground” diplomacy.
III. COPING WITH THE NEW CHALLENGES OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN OUR Legislatures
10. Artificial intelligence opens up vast opportunities for legislatures to improve how they function and strengthen their effectiveness. This new technology could help streamline legislative processes, improve access by the public to parliamentary work, facilitate the translation and transcription of debates, complement legislative research and analysis and improve cybersecurity. AI can also encourage greater citizen participation through innovative digital tools.
11. We nevertheless recognize that the development and use of artificial intelligence can raise major challenges. The risks associated with algorithmic bias, system limitations and errors, disinformation and information manipulation, as well as the threats to personal data protection and cybersecurity require robust democratic governance, strengthened by widespread public consultation, to ensure the safe, secure, sovereign, human-centric and beneficial use of artificial intelligence.
12. We therefore discussed the measures our legislatures have taken, or are considering, to ensure artificial intelligence is used wisely and responsibly. Recognizing the need to harness the full potential of these technologies for the work of our parliamentary administrations and for our lawmakers in the exercise of their office, we welcome the work carried out in this field by international parliamentary bodies. We decide to continue our exchanges on best practices in the future.
