COP19 ���� busy road towards Paris 2015

The climate negotiations that have been held in Warsaw for the last two weeks and the last minute political huddles are finally over. All discussions on the three main items of the COP 19 ���� the roadmap to Paris, financing and the decision to create a mechanism for ����loss and damage���� - have been agreed upon. All fatigued negotiators that have been working about 40 hours can finally pack up.

The EU came to Warsaw with the objective of paving the way to the Paris COP in 2015 ���� date when a final climate agreement will have to be signed by all parties. At COP19, parties eventually agreed to a vague work plan for the period between now to December 2015 and to come forward with proposed commitments well in advance, if possible before March 2015.

If the EU is pleased with this decision and calls on all parties to go home and ����do their homework����, it is important that it delivers itself to remain credible. With the COP21 to be organised within its own territory in two years time, the EU cannot take the risk to fail and must start on working on the key issues right now to be ready for the ministerial meeting in Bonn in June 2014 and therefore for the UN 'Ban-Ki Moon' summit in September.

The key concern of emission reduction has not been addressed at all at this year����s COP. To ensure that the focus on maintaining global warming below 2°c, the EU must rapidly set itself ambitious emissions reduction targets for 2030 to at least 60% but also increase its climate target for 2020, which it has reached already. It will also have to set itself ambitious targets for renewable energy sources and energy efficiency to ensure the real decarbonisation of its economy. Coal, shale gas and all dirty fossil fuels must be out of our energy mix if we are serious about protecting our climate.

The EU will also have to continue to work hard to overcome any division between rich and poor countries and stand next to the most vulnerable ones that have been calling for climate justice, fairness, equity and financial support.

Only by leading by example will the EU be able to drive the political will forward and ensure a successful outcome of Paris 2015. This means that this future COP cannot simply be a diplomatic success that saves the UN process, it must also reach its key main objective of maintaining global warming below 2°C.

Tonight, the road to Paris might have been technically paved in Warsaw����but there are huge challenges and work to be done on the way.