French environment minister to stay on after announcing resignation

Monique Barbut, France’s Minister for Ecological Transition, will remain in her role despite having announced her resignation earlier on Wednesday after French President Emmanuel Macron asked her to stay.

According to her office, she ultimately chose to stay “because of the urgent need to tackle the impacts of climate change, which are already hitting France hard, and to address pressing environmental health issues.”

French President Emmanuel Macron and Monique Barbut “agreed to disagree on the agriculture bill as passed by parliament,” government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said during Wednesday’s cabinet meeting.

“The president refused to accept her resignation; and they agreed on three fundamental pillars – water, forests and environmental health – three areas in which she has agreed to remain fully committed,” Bregeon added.

Pesticides dispute

Earlier in the day, Barbut had criticized the government in a LinkedIn post, saying it had reneged on promises over an agricultural bill to reintroduce certain pesticides.

“Contrary to the assurances I had been given, the government has prevented any debate on the scrapping of this measure, even though MPs also wanted it to be scrapped,” Barbut wrote in a post on LinkedIn, adding that the “U-turn represents (…) one environmental setback too many.”

Her office later confirmed that, although she had decided to remain in her role, her disagreement with the government’s position on the matter remained unchanged.

On Tuesday, the French parliament approved the government’s emergency agricultural bill. The bill provides for the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety to reintroduce, subject to certain conditions, acetamiprid and flupyradifurone – two pesticides authorised in the EU but banned in France – for a handful of sectors in difficulty, including the hazelnut and sugar beet sectors.

Long-running controversy

A year after a strong public outcry against the Duplomb Act – which had provided for the reintroduction of acetamiprid before being struck down by the Constitutional Council – the prospect of its return continues to spark controversy.

On Monday, MPs from the ruling coalition suggested that the government withdraw the provision via an amendment. Ministers rejected the proposal.

Known for her outspoken style, Barbut had previously threatened to resign several times over concerns about funding for her ministry.

“What I want are proper budgets for adaptation and the Green Fund,” she had repeatedly stated, referring to a programme that supports local authorities and their investments in the ecological transition. While not ruling out further cuts, she succeed in preserving what she considered a level of funding needed to continue the ministry’s work.