G7 finance ministers and central bankers will probably spend about half their time discussing energy matters in light of surging oil prices, France's Finance Minister Thierry Breton said.
"We'll spend probably half of the meeting on energy," Breton told a meeting of California business leaders here, before travelling to the G7 meeting in Washington later today.
Breton said that in order to ease oil prices, which have reached record levels this week, further investment is needed in building up capacity, in order to alleviate "the tiny gap between production and consumption," the main factor behind the price increase.
"I will be extremely vocal at G7," he said, saying global leaders need a global view with regards to energy.
Concerning France, Breton said he hopes growth will pick up steadily in the coming years, making the country the fastest growing in Europe. "My dream, my view for my country within the next ten years is that France should be the fastest growing economy in Europe, and solidly anchored in the world top 10," he said.