Русско-англо-русский юридический словарь

Financial literacy should be improved among both pupils and adults, says the Education Secretary David Blunkett.

Speaking to the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Mr Blunkett called for joint ventures between the government and financial institutions to develop a better understanding of personal finance. (BBC News)

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) describes a bilateral or multilateral agreement between two or more parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used in cases where parties either do not imply a legal commitment or in situations where the parties cannot create a legally enforceable agreement. It is a more formal alternative to a gentlemen's agreement. (Wikipedia)

Furthermore, there is also a specific difference between a letter of intent (LOI) and a memorandum of understanding (MOU); an LOI outlines the intent of one party toward another with regard to an agreement, and may only be signed by the party expressing that intent, whereas an MOU must be signed by all parties to be a valid outline of an agreement. Nevertheless, LOIs are fairly often incorrectly referred to as MOUs and vice versa. (Wikipedia)

In Russian law, there is a concept of a preliminary agreement, which is an agreement to enter into a binding agreement in future on the terms described in the pleliminary agreement. Preliminary agreement has a binding effect on the parties. Therefore, there is a risk that a memorandum of understanding, letter of intent, or any other similar arrangements, if governed by Russian law, may be treated as "preliminary agreements" and, therefore, have a binding effect on the parties. (International Stock Purchase Acquisitions: Summaries of International Law, American Bar Association, 2006, Google Books)