The European Commission urged European Union states to fulfill their promises to increase aid to poor countries, emphasizing that failing to meet U.N. goals would have disastrous consequences for developing nations and global stability. While progress has been made towards the Millennium Development Goals, there are still significant challenges such as high child mortality rates, lack of access to clean water, limited education opportunities, and high levels of illiteracy among women. The Commission stressed the importance of increasing political and public support in order to achieve these goals by 2015. Meeting the targets for development aid is crucial in addressing issues like migration, security, and climate change. The European Union has asked each of its 27 member states to create financial plans that demonstrate yearly increases to meet their aid goals. In 2007, the EU was the largest aid donor globally, contributing over 46 billion euros, but this amount was down by about 1.7 billion euros from the previous year, which could have funded thousands of schools or hospitals. Aid and development Commissioner Louis Michel described this decrease as a "serious failure." The Commission emphasized the need for more effective aid by preventing duplication of efforts, supporting the use of biofuels in developing countries to combat poverty, and taking steps to address brain drain, particularly in the fields of health, education, and research. The Commission also noted that fundamental principles of aid effectiveness are not being followed, and they plan to propose improvements on a state-by-state basis. The Aid for Trade programme is requesting 2 billion euros ($3.15 billion) to be allocated by 2010 to help poorer countries take advantage of export opportunities, with a focus on African, Caribbean, and Pacific states. Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso emphasized the need for action over words in 2008, stating that credibility relies on delivering promises. A recent report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development noted a decrease in development aid from major donors, largely due to the completion of large debt relief packages. In 2000, 189 U.N. members agreed on goals to eradicate poverty, promote human and social development, and protect the environment. In 2005, EU leaders set goals for 2015 including reducing extreme poverty by half, providing primary education to all children, and enhancing health standards. Aid amounted to 0.38 percent of the EU's GNI in the previous year, slightly lower than the interim goal of 0.39 percent in 2006, which was met. The European Commission calculated that Official Development Assistance equated to 93 euros per EU resident, higher than the amounts in the United States (53 euros) and Japan (44 euros) per capita.