LISBON, Dec. 16 -- Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates said Sunday that the Bali roadmap adopted at the UN climate change conference is a victory for the European Union (EU) and the whole world.

       Socrates, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, said the conference is a victory for the world and the EU for fighting climate change, as the achievement has basically reached the goal set by the EU.

       The Portuguese prime minister said the EU attaches great importance to the issue of climate change and has made huge efforts to promote a new global agreement on climate change.

       He said the EU approves cutting emissions goals of global greenhouse gases by between 25 and 40 percent by 2020 and to reduce them to well below half of 2000 levels by 2050.

       The EU has played an active role in adopting the Bali roadmap at the UN climate change, Socrates added.

       The Bali Roadmap, agreed by over 180 countries meeting in Indonesia's resort island of Bali, contains a clear agenda for the key issues to be negotiated up to 2009, including action 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.