EU Hails Breakthrough in Durban Climate Talks

The European Union on Sunday hailed the agreement reached at the UN climate conference in Durban, South Africa as a historic breakthrough in the fight against climate change.

After two weeks of negotiations, the 195 parties to the UN climate change convention agreed on a proposal to draw up a legal framework by 2015 for climate action by all countries, the EU said in a statement.

The Durban conference also agreed that there will be a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, made operational the new Green Climate Fund for developing countries and approved a series of measures which build on the progress made at last year's Cancun conference.

The EU put forward a roadmap at the talks, demanding a new legal framework by 2015 that will involve all countries in combating climate change for the EU's agreement to accept the second commitment of the Kyoto Protocol.

"We would not take a new Kyoto period unless we got in return a roadmap for the future where all countries must commit," Connie Hedegaard, European commissioner for climate action, said.

She said the EU "has achieved its key goal for the Durban climate conference.''

Polish Environment Minister Marcin Korolec, whose country currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, said, " This is an moment comparable only to, if not surpassing, the success of COP1 from 1995, when the Berlin Mandate was established, which led to the creation and adoption of the only legally binding international agreement to combat climate change -- the Kyoto Protocol."

"Today, we adopted a Durban Platform, which will lead us to a legally binding agreement being completed by the year 2015 to engage all parties. A lot of hard work has gone to achieve this. That is significant success of the Polish presidency of the EU Council together with European Commission, the European Union and the global community as a whole.''

Countries meeting in Durban have delivered a breakthrough on the future of the international community's response to climate change, while recognizing the urgent need to raise their collective level of ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to keep the average global temperature rise below two degrees Celsius, the UN said earlier.

"We have taken crucial steps forward for the common good and the global citizenry today. I believe that what we have achieved in Durban will play a central role in saving tomorrow, today," said Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, South African minister of international relations and cooperation and president of the Durban UN Climate Change Conference (COP17/CMP7).