Italian MEP Guido Sacconi (PES) - who chairs Parliament's Climate Change committee - welcomed the involvement of the US and developing countries. He was also satisfied with a footnote reference to reduction targets mentioned in a report for the UN's International Panel on Climate Change. Speaking on Monday back in Brussels he described the talks as "emotional" with "high points of drama". In a joint statement on behalf of the EP delegation with Alejo Vidal Quadras (EPP-ED), they said the lack of clear targets on emission cuts by industrialised countries was "somewhat short of the mark".
"Vicious circle" of finger pointing broken
Delegates were in Bali to discuss the international mechanism to deal with climate change after the Kyoto protocol expires in 2012. For a new accord to come into effect immediately after this it needs to be agreed by 2009 to allow timely ratification.
Bali may have failed in setting firm targets on emissions reduction, as well as failing to reach a decision on how developed and developing countries should share the burden of curbing emissions. However, it did set a roadmap for future talks, launch projects that could lead to reforestation as well as launching a UN fund to help poor nations cope with the effects of climate change.
Hailing the start of the Bali process Parliament's climate change rapporteur Karl-Heinz Florenz (EPP-ED), said that "the vicious circle of the US, China and India pointing at each other to make commitments has been broken".
Role of United States crucial
The key role of the United States now and in the future was underlined by another Bali delegate, Dutch MEP Johannes Blokland (IND/DEM). He said that he expected "the next US presidential elections to give a positive impulse to the US climate policy" ahead of the Copenhagen meeting in 2009.
The Vice-Chair of Parliament's Environment Committee, Green MEP Satu Hassi, deplored the "unscrupulous behaviour" of the US Administration at the conference. She was also hopeful that a new Administration would take a different line.
Pilot projects that measure emission reduction from forestry projects and help for poorer nations through the "Adaptation Fund" were both warmly welcomed by MEPs present at the conference in Bali and in the meeting that followed in Brussels.
Parliament will play its part
All the MEPs agreed that the European Parliament must play its role in ensuring that the necessary EU-wide legislation is passed to meet the EU's own target of cuts of 20% of greenhouse gases by 2020.
Read more about the Bali conference and other developments in climate change using the links below.
