The EU wants to "deepen" its ties with four of its neighbours - Ukraine, Moldova, Morocco and Israel - external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said in Brussels in April. "Based on their progress and their ambition to work more closely with us, we want to go significantly further with these four countries," she said while presenting an evaluation of the EU's policy towards its neighbours – known as the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) – over the past year.

As for the "most committed countries," Ukraine, Moldova and Morocco, the commissioner said she was going to propose an increase of the funds set aside for them for 2008 although the exact sums remain unclear.

targeted – cílený to deepen – prohloubit relations – vztahy neighbours – sousedé ties – vztahy, spojení external – vnější based on – založený na, na základě progress – pokrok closely – úzce, blízce significantly – podstatně further (neprav.přídavné jméno far-further-furthest) – dál to present – představit evaluation – hodnocení towards – vůči over – během committed – oddaný, angažovaný to propose – navrhnout increase – nárůst toset aside – dát stranou, vyčlenit although – ačkoli to remain – zůstat unclear – nejasný

According to the overall assessment of the ENP's implementation in 2007 published by the commission, the neighbourhood policy has "delivered" results in many areas, but the EU's partner countries still need to do more in others, such as the reform of their economies, the opening up of their markets and the fight against corruption and organised crime.

The ENP covers Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Ukraine, as well as the Palestinian Authority.

It was designed with the aim of offering EU neighbours closer – or privileged – cooperation with the bloc, but it does not foresee eventual EU membership, a fact repeated regularly by Brussels.

according to – podle overall – celkový assessment – odhad, výměr implementation – zavedení neighbourhood – sousedství to deliver results – přinést ovoce, přinést výsledky to need – potřebovat such as – jako například to open up – otevřít fight – boj organised crime – organizovaný zločin to cover – pokrývat, týkat se Georgia – Gruzie as well as – stejně jako to design – vytvořit, navrhnout aim – cíl tooffer – nabídnout cooperation – spolupráce to foresee (neprav. sloveso foresee-foresaw–foreseen) předvídat, tušit membership – členství regularly – pravidelně

But referring to Ukraine, Ms Ferrero-Waldner noted: "For the future, nothing is ruled out and nothing is ruled in, the [EU] door is neither open nor closed."

to refer to – poukazovat na, odvolávat se na to note – poznamenat future – budoucnost to rule out – vyloučit to rule in – brat za bernou minci, rozhodnout ve prospěch neither/nor – ani/ani closed – zavřený.

Text: Markéta Frýbová