PURPOSE: To improve the regulating performance of a system for regulating the idling speed of an internal combustion engine, in particular a self-ignitable internal combustion engine.

CONSTITUTION: An idling controller used in the system has at least one integral component 40 and one differential component 70. The response characteristic of the controller is able to be influenced dependent upon at least one operation parameter of the internal combustion engine. The integral component 40 is able to be influenced dependent upon an output variable UD of the differential component. Factors KD, T which define the response characteristic of the differential component are dependent upon at least the rotational speed N and accel pedal position FP.