The EU welcomed the agreement reached at the UN climate change conference in Indonesia's Bali to start formal negotiations on a climate regime for the post-2012 period and on a Bali Roadmap that sets out an agenda for these negotiations, said a statement of the bloc.

President of the EU Commission Jose Manuel Barroso welcomed the agreement, saying it was reached after hard work.

"It is a very important step forward," he said. "I appeal to all our partners to take these commitments seriously and to act swiftly."

"Together, developed and developing countries can reach success" as "there is only one planet," he said.

Francisco Nunes Correia, Environment Minister of Portugal, the current rotating EU presidency holder, praised the breakthrough reached in the Bali conference.

"The way is now clear for the international community to start negotiations to reach a global climate agreement by the end of 2009," he said.

Stavros Dimas, European Commissioner for Environment, said the roadmap met the EU's main demands and now "the real hard work must begin."

"We have agreed to start negotiations that will not only discuss commitments for developed countries, including the United States, but also actions by developing countries," he said.

"It is essential that the agreement to be worked out over the next two years is ambitious enough to prevent global warming from reaching dangerous levels."

The 15-day UN climate change conference ended yesterday with the adoption of the Bali Roadmap, which is expected to launch negotiations on a crucial international climate change regime up to 2009.

The Bali Roadmap, agreed upon by over 180 countries meeting in Indonesia's resort island of Bali, includes a clear agenda for the key issues to be negotiated up to 2009, including actions for adapting to the negative consequences of climate change, ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, ways to deploy climate-friendly technologies and financing both adaptation and mitigation measures.

The conference was attended by more than 11,000 people, making it the largest UN climate change gathering ever held.

Next year's UN climate change conference will be held in Poznan, Poland.