I was amongst the first to argue that any agreement between EU ministers should not lead to self-congratulation or to any complacency since the uphill struggle on the Climate COP21 Paris meeting is still to start.

Agreeing on a negotiating position is just a starting point since, even were the EU to lead by example right through the whole process leading up to Paris, as well as at the meeting itself, it would not suffice.

We will need to ensure that other developed countries will do the same and reassure ourselves that developing countries will restore any past confidence and trust that they might have harboured towards the industrialised countries.

In being united for an ambitious binding agreement at the Paris talks, the EU will still be making it clear that it is not interested in any deal at all costs, but in one that will pave the way for fruitful conclusions.

I can understand those members, particularly of civil society, who would have liked to see us raise the bar further, but even the strongest of positions imaginable by the EU would be no guarantee of a successful Paris Cop.

We only have to remember COP19 in Copenhagen, when the EU went there with arguably the soundest and strongest position only to end up marginalised and side-lined by the key players who decided everything behind their back.

Without unanimity in Brussels a few days ago in our formal Ministerial we would have gone to Paris in a weaker position, since until recently Europe was still struggling hard to speak with one voice. As is the case with the migration problem.

Some have argued that we should commit to wanting fossil fuels to be completely phased out. Ideal perhaps but not practical when Poland and some other EU countries are still coal dependent and will remain so in the foreseeable future. I still think it is no mean feat that we got even the most climate sceptic countries in the EU to commit to reduce their emissions by 50% compared to 1990 levels.

We want to be real dealmakers in Paris rather than isolated dreamers without the support of other big powers or the emerging Asian and Latin American countries.

When we asked all countries to peak their emissions by 2020 to avoid dangerous global warming, we were being strictly in line with a report published by the UN’s climatescience panel the IPCC.

We must constantly emphasise between now and Paris that the transfer of funds from developed to developing countries to help with climate change needs to be spelt out reassuringly. It should entail a substantial element of capacity building rather than mere cash hand-outs. A balance must be struck between driving one’s ideals forward and enabling business to remain competitive and continue to grow as we move to a low-carbon future.

Now that agreement has been reached within the EU it is more important than ever that we all speak with one voice

The implementation process is equally important. If one has reason to believe that non-EU countries might lack transparency in the monitoring of their climate performance, it is important that all monitoring, policing and compliance is done in the most transparent of ways. There should also be a follow-up mechanism with a review every five years, when countries will be required to either submit new or updated commitments to reduce emissions.

There is still much work ahead in order to reach a positive Paris outcome particularly when one still has to see agreement reached on a common text. Substantial progress has been promised in the negotiating text but the proof will be in the eating.

Even green eNGOs like Climate Action Network Europe admitted that the call for a phase-out of emissions from all the EU countries is an important signal that the EU still wants to reach a meaningful Paris agreement.

Ministers emphasised the need to address emissions from international aviation and shipping, while calling on the international maritime and international civil aviation organisations, as UN bodies, to hurry up and get their act together to agree and implement measures to achieve a <2 degrees goal.

We expect no thank you for the following but overcoming resistance from certainEastern member states was indeed no walk in the park.

Now that agreement has been reached within the EU it is more important than ever that we all speak with one voice, and show true leadership throughout Paris meeting.

While agreeing that Paris is the beginning of a process, I made the point that this should not be interpreted as a blank cheque to literally lower rather than raise the bar.

We need to remain resolute as ever, and arguably be even stronger in sending out a clear call for comparable efforts by major carbon emitting countries and economies outside Europe to follow suit.

It was equally encouraging to note that the European Environmental Bureau welcomed the commitment of our Climate Commissioner Canete to step up efforts for energy efficiency as this is what we need to increase Europe’s overall ambition ahead of the COP in Paris and to go beyond a 40% cut in GHG emissions.

Stategy-wise we need to combine ashort-, medium- and long-term vision if we are to achieve real tangible deliverables.

No mean feat but it remains both desirable and necessary. Our ultimate objective should be simply that of ultimately bringing everyone on board.

Leo Brincat is the Minister for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change.