President persuaded Monique Barbut to stay on in a job that has seen already seven ministers come and go
French Environment Minister Monique Barbut said on Wednesday that she would remain in office after President Emmanuel Macron refused to accept the resignation she tendered earlier in the day.
Barbut’s initial move to resign was prompted by the Senate’s introduction of amendments to an agriculture bill, passed on Tuesday, that allow farmers to use controversial pesticides, such as acetamiprid.
“I had been assured that the reintroduction of a banned pesticide would put an end the text’s journey,” Barbut explained in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday morning, explaining her resignation.
But later on Wednesday, following a meeting with Macron, Barbut’s office told AFP that she had agreed to remain in her post “in light of the urgent need to take action against the consequences of climate change, which are hitting the country hard, and to address environmental health issues”.
