The meeting resulted in a
Statement (PDF 10k) backing, among other things, the development of international accounting standards as a means to bolster investor confidence: "We favour the emergence, through open and public processes involving the private sector, of high-quality internationally recognized accounting standards that are applied, interpreted and enforced, with due regard to financial stability concerns." The finance ministers' meeting is a prelude to a summit of the G8 heads of state and government that will take place on 1 to 3 June at Evian. The G8 countries are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom, and United States.