The invention relates to a method for the laser welding of metal parts that comprises generating a CO2 laser beam, dispensing a protection gas jet made of said gas or gas mixture in the direction of the junction plane between the parts, melting and evaporating the metal of the metal parts with the laser beam in order to generate a metal vapor capillary with the simultaneous generation of a metal plasma that propagates outside the metal vapor capillary and thus forms a metal plasma plume above said junction plane. The protection gas jet is further directed towards the metal plasma plume forming above the junction plane. The gas jet is preferably directed so that the latter comes flush with the top of the metal plasma plume and impinges on the part(s) at a location where the metal of said parts has not been molten by the beam.