BALI, Indonesia, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) on Tuesday raised its voice for higher ambition for the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, saying "a clear, ambitious commitment must be reached at Bali."

    "We have seen some actors try to reduce expectations and ambitions for the Bali conference from the very outset," said European Parliament (EP) Vice-President and delegation chair Alejo Vidal-Quadras here on Tuesday.

    "It is our conviction, however, that a clear, ambitious commitment must be reached at Bali: not so much as an international treaty, but a clear plan for achieving a final agreement by 2009." To that end, "what we need -- more than simply a mandate -- is a range of emission reduction goals for all industrialized countries," he said.

    As Vidal-Quadras puts it, "a roadmap without details, landmarks, as well as a clear destination is no roadmap at all." The final text, therefore, "should be clear about the aims that the Bali process wants to achieve and to make plain that commitments should be binding. Ministers should not walk out of this conference without anything short of this."

    Following a meeting with Executive Director of the UN Environment Program Achim Steiner, Vidal-Quadras also noted that "what has hampered the Bali negotiations from the beginning is the developing countries' suspicion that behind the industrialized world's climate change rhetoric lies a hidden protectionist agenda." This, he said, should come as no surprise.

    "The industrialized world, at this point, must take a more balanced approach when it comes to making demands on developing countries; we must take the steps necessary to earn their trust."

    Also "it is time to better acknowledge the steps taken by China, India and other emerging economies." The developed and developing world, he added, "share a common responsibility in the campaign to fight climate change."

    On the heels of the delegation's earlier meeting with U.S. Senator John Kerry, Vidal-Quadras noted that the former presidential candidate's remarks were "extremely encouraging".

    "Although we cannot expect much movement on climate change from the current U.S. administration, the attitude on climate change in America -- among the public, but also in Congress and at state level -- is evolving in a very positive direction. By next year, I hope, the U.S. and Europe can reach a transatlantic consensus on binding climate change targets for the post-2012 framework," said the EU official.

    John Kerry, Senator from Massachusetts in the United States, came to Bali Monday representing Congressional leaders. He called on the Bali conference to result in a "strong mandate based on science."

    "We believe that there is a significant transformational effort now taking place in the U.S.. The U.S. is going to lead." New legislation under consideration in the Senate, he said, would implement a cap and trade system that would contribute to greenhouse gas emissions of 65-70 percent by 2050.