G7 leaders adopted the Apulia Leaders’ Communiqué on June 14, 2024, at the conclusion of the 50th G7 Summit held in Borgo Egnazia, Fasano, Italy. The communiqué committed G7 members to “building resilient economies and supply chains, ensuring our toolkits to respond to harmful practices are fit for purpose, and safeguarding critical and emerging technology that could be used to threaten international peace and security.”
Leaders recognized the potential of quantum technology developments and committed to adopt or implement their respective quantum strategies. The communiqué also called for strengthening effective export controls on materials, technology, and research that could be used for military purposes, emphasizing the central role of multilateral export control regimes.
Italy’s presidency had placed quantum technologies on the G7 agenda earlier in 2024 through the Verona-Trento ministerial declaration in March. During the summit, Italian company QTI deployed quantum key distribution (QKD) systems to secure sensitive communications at the summit venue, marking one of the first uses of quantum-secured communications at a G7 leaders’ gathering.