The Paris Climate Change Agreement takes effect this week, following the EU's final ratification. The Agreement needed to have the signatures of at least 55 parties, representing at least 55% of global emissions in order to enter into force. The EU's ratification gets the deal over this threshold. Speaking after the ratification vote in the European parliament, Commissioner for Climate Action Miguel Arias Cañete said: "Our collective task is to turn our commitments into action on the ground. And here Europe is ahead of the curve. ... The world is moving and Europe is leading, confident and proud of our work to tackle climate change".