The European Union’s parliament on Wednesday approved in a cliffhanger vote a major bill to protect nature and fight climate change. In a test of the EU’s global climate credentials, the legislature supported the European Commission plan in a razor-thin 324-312 vote with 12 abstentions.

The bill is a key part of the EU’s vaunted European Green Deal that seeks to establish the world’s most ambitious climate and biodiversity targets and make the bloc the global point of reference on all climate issues.