To date, only four of the EU 15 have reached the UN target of 0.7% ODA/GNI: Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden. In 2006, six of the EU 15 reached the target set by the Barcelona Commitments of 0.33% ODA/GNI : Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Germany. The remaining EU 15 Member States have failed to achieve the 0.33% target.

In May 2005 the EU Council decided to put forward concrete proposals for the EU's contribution to the UN Summit in September 2005. The Council reaffirmed its determination to fulfill the internationally agreed ODA target of an ODA/GNI ratio of 0.7% and decided on a new collective European Union target of an ODA/GNI ratio of 0.56% by 2010, with a view to accelerating progress towards the MDGs.