Follow-up to the Durban climate change conference

The Council had an exchange of views on the outcome of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which took place from 28 November to 9 December in Durban, South Africa.

The EU was actively engaged in international negotiations before and during the Durban Conference and it was generally acknowledged that it played a key role in achieving the final agreement.

Although most Member States welcomed the outcome of the Conference, it was also generally agreed that this was just a first important step. The EU must keep the pressure and pursue its efforts to secure a legal framework for climate action which this time will engage all countries and which should be agreed upon in 2015 and enter into force in 2020.

Ministers and the Commissioner looked forward to the EU's work in coming months in order to formalise what was agreed in Durban and in order to facilitate a good start of the new negotiation cycle.