Opponents of this approach complain that unless the targets are internationally binding, and there is a compliance mechanism to enforce them, any global agreement will be toothless.

ECONOMIST: How to get negotiations on the right track for a deal

The Greek crisis only confirms the folly of binding a group of disparate countries together in a currency zone with no mechanism, such as a central fiscal authority, to address its internal imbalances.

ECONOMIST: Greece's sovereign-debt crunch

It demanded a binding agreement that Slovakia would refuse to take part in the European Stabilisation Mechanism - which is meant to replace the EFSF in 2013 - and a veto over future bailout disbursements from the EFSF.

BBC: Eurozone bailout fund faces key Slovakian vote

The vote will not be binding on the government (that's because it's a backbench debate triggered under a new mechanism which allows petitions with more than 100, 000 signatures to be given Commons time).

BBC: Europe: The bomb's ticking louder