PARIS, May 17 (Reuters) – French parliamentarians in a near unanimous vote on Tuesday adopted a bill authorising the government to ratify the landmark climate agreement reached by 195 nations in Paris in December.

France, which is chairing the COP21 climate talks until the end of the year, is the first European Union member state to move ahead with the ratification of the agreement which aims to curb global warming.

Environment Minister Segolene Royal, who presented the bill in parliament on Tuesday, told journalists earlier that she expected other EU member states to at least adopt the bill at ministerial level by end-June.