Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel assessed the results of the Vienna conference preparing the Climate Change summit in Bali positively. The parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change agreed that industrialised countries have to continue playing a leading role in climate protection in the future. For the first time emission reduction ranges of 25 to 40% by 2020 against a 1990 baseline were taken into consideration for industrialised nations. "This is a step in the right direction", said Minister Gabriel. "However, in Bali we need a clear decision on how industrialised countries can cut emissions so that we can start negotiating concrete reduction targets. This is the only way we can convince newly industrialising and developing countries to join climate protection efforts. "
About 500 government experts discussed the key building blocks of a follow-up agreement to the Kyoto Protocol for a week in Vienna. The aim of the new agreement is to limit climate change to a controllable level. The parties also agreed that central elements of the future climate protection agreement have to include adaptation to climate change, intensifying technological cooperation and financing reduction and adaptation measures. Many newly industrialising and developing countries underlined that although industrialised countries should play a leading role in climate protection, they wanted to contribute as well.
Under Germany's EU Presidency during the first six months of this year, EU Member States agreed on ambitious reduction targets and a common position for negotiations on the post-2012 climate protection agreement. The aim is to start negotiations on all building blocks of the follow-up agreement to the Kyoto Protocol in Bali and to agree on a joint work plan and timetable until 2009.