Ministri krajín EÚ zodpovední za medzinárodný rozvoj sa dohodli, že zvýšia výdavky na rozvojovú pomoc na pol percenta HDP do piatich rokov a na 7 desatín percenta HDP do roku 2015. Podrobnejšie k tomu už spravodajca BBC Andrew Walker:

Vypočujte si správu

If the European Union implements the agreement in full, it would fulfil a long standing United Nations target - that the rich countries should spend nought point seven per cent of their national income on development aid. Currently only four EU countries meet the target - Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Luxembourg as well as one non-EU country, Norway.

For the EU as a whole, the current level is about half the target. The agreement in Brussels would cut the shortfall in half by 2010 and eliminate it altogether five years later.

However three countries - Germany, Italy and Portugal - issued their own statements, pointing out the difficult situation of their government finances, perhaps an early warning that they might have difficulty finding the extra money while complying with EU rules which limit government borrowing.

Aid and development are important themes in international politics this year. They will be on the agenda at the summit in July of the G8 major powers, which includes the US and Japan as well as the big EU countries. The host, the British Prime Minister Tony Blair, wants the summit to agree a large increase in aid and debt relief for Africa. Japan and the US are currently far behind the UN aid target.

In September, there will be a United Nations Summit, where aid, debt and poverty reduction will also be leading issues. The underlying objective is to achieve a number of targets known as the millennium development goals for reducing poverty and related problems.

Andrew Walker, BBC

Vypočujte si jednotlivé slová a slovné spojenia

implements
zavedie do praxe

fulfil a long standing United Nations target
(EÚ) splní cieľ, ktorý OSN stanovila už dávno

cut the shortfall
zmierniť nedostatok (shortfall = nedostatok)

eliminate it altogether
úplne niečo vylúčiť, zlikvidovať

have difficulty finding
mať problémy niečo nájsť

while complying
a zároveň dodržiavať (príkaz, pravidlá)

be on the agenda
byť na programe (rokovaní)

debt relief
pomoc pri splácaní dlhov, odpustenie dlhov alebo pozastavenie splátok, prípadne úrokov

leading issues
hlavné okruhy otázok, problémy

underlying objective
hlavný cieľ (ktorý je jasný bez toho, aby musel byť priamo formulovaný)