summit in Luxembourg in May. "This is the time for taking action. We have had so much rhetoric. We have had so many speeches. Now is the time to take critical action," said Juncker, who currently holds the EU presidency and is head of Eurogroup of finance ministers. They will explore special taxes or alternative funding mechanisms because the bulk of EU governments are "totally unable" due to budget restraints to dig into their own pockets to finance development aid, he added. The idea of an aviation tax, long urged by environmentalists and Germany's Green Party, moved to the forefront of the international agenda last week when Germany and France joined hands to back it. Kerosene is the high-powered fuel used by aeroplanes. But it faces difficulties. German finance officials said the proposal has earned a cool response from the United Kingdom, which says it already faces high energy taxes. --More 0002 Local Time 2102 GMT
