PARIS, July 22 (Xinhua) -- French Minister of Ecological Transition Monique Barbut, who announced on Wednesday that she would resign, later reversed her decision and said she would remain in office.
Barbut said in a post on LinkedIn earlier on Wednesday that she had informed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Tuesday that the conditions for her to remain in the government were no longer met and that she would therefore submit her resignation to President Emmanuel Macron.
Later on Wednesday, French broadcaster France Info, citing Barbut's office, reported that she had agreed "to continue her mission at the request" of Macron. She said she would remain in the government to address the impacts of climate change and environmental health challenges.
Her announcement followed the French parliament's adoption on Tuesday of an emergency agriculture bill authorizing France's food, environmental and occupational health agency (ANSES), under certain conditions, to approve the use of insecticides, including acetamiprid, for a limited number of agricultural sectors facing difficulties.
Barbut said she had consistently advocated a balanced approach between the legitimate expectations of the agricultural sector and environmental protection during the drafting of the bill. However, the final text adopted by parliament reinstated a provision allowing the use of pesticides that had previously been banned.
She described the move as "one environmental setback," saying France had banned such pesticides in 2016 under the precautionary principle and that scientific studies continued to raise concerns about their potential impacts on human health and the environment.
Barbut was appointed minister of ecological transition in October 2025. ■