The European Commission has said that the United Nations climate change conference in Paris which takes place from 30 November – 11 December is an historic opportunity to avoid dangerous climate change.

Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Climate Action and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete will participate in the conference, along with other world leaders.

Setting out its position and objectives, the European Commission underlined the crucial importance of reaching a fair, ambitious and legally binding global climate deal at the Paris conference.

President Juncker said:

"The EU wants an ambitious and binding global deal in Paris. We were the first to table our climate pledge in March and it is still the most ambitious contribution. Our goal of holding global temperature rise below 2°C by the end of the century is still within reach. We are witnessing a global movement like never before. I hope this will translate into action during the negotiations next week. If the world delivers in Paris, the humanity will have an international regime to efficiently combat climate change."

Commissioner Arias Cañete said: "This is it. Paris is a historic opportunity that we cannot miss. Now we must translate the momentum we have seen on the road to Paris into an ambitious, operational, legally binding agreement. More than 170 countries, covering over 95% of global emissions, have already unveiled their climate pledges ahead of the conference. This is a real game changer. It is also a clear evidence of governments' shared sense of urgency and political determination to make Paris the beginning of a new chapter in climate action. But there is no room for complacency – the credibility of the deal will depend on these key elements: a long-term goal, regular reviews to increase ambition over time and strong transparency and accountability rules."

The increase in the global average temperature needs to be held below 2°C above the pre-industrial levels in order to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. The EU's vision of a credible agreement includes:

• A global vision for a long term goal as a signal for stakeholders, including businesses, investors and the public, of the resolve to shift to low-carbon economies;
• A mechanism to regularly review and raise the collective ambition;
• A robust transparency and accountability system to ensure that Parties and stakeholders can trust that what is promised will be delivered.

On finance, the Commissioners said the EU remains committed to delivering its share towards achieving the developed countries' joint goal of mobilising $100 billion per year by 2020 for climate action in developing countries. A recent report by the OECD and Climate Policy Initiative showed that $62 billion was mobilised in 2014 - the EU has been the major contributor to this funding.

On 10 November, EU finance ministers confirmed that the EU and its Member States provided €14.5 billion in public climate finance (grants and loans) in 2014, a significant increase compared to previous years. At least EUR 14 billion, an average of €2 billion per year of public grants from the EU budget, will support activities in developing countries between 2014 and 2020.

The Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the European Commission will be jointly responsible for negotiating on behalf of the EU in Paris.