The "Financial Times" reported that the encyclical helped influence discussion at the July 2009 G8 Summit in Italy, as the Vatican had planned. The summit resulted in a reported additional US$5 billion being allocated to combat hunger, which was one of the principal problems dealt with by the encyclical. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had criticized the Pope earlier in the year, welcomed the work, saying "Pope Benedict has encouraged the state leaders to create rules so that this sort of worldwide economic crisis isn't repeated", and "I also saw this as an order to work toward a social market economy in the world".