Reuters has cited a French presidential adviser as saying that Emmanuel Macron had not spoken to Nicolas Hulot about his resignation as environment minister and that his replacement had not been decided yet.
"We perfectly understand that there should be a form of frustration, even exhaustion, which doesn't take away the quality of the work accomplished," the adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity, underscored.
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The remarks came shortly after 63-year-old Hulo announced his resignation during a live radio interview earlier on Tuesday, saying that he felt "all alone in pushing" environmental issues. According to him, President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Edouard Philippe were not aware of his decision to quit prior to the announcement.
"I don't want to give the illusion that my presence in government means that we meet the standards on these issues, so I’m taking the decision to leave the government," Hulot underscored.
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Giving kudos to Macron and Philippe for being "affectionate and loyal" to him in the past 14 months, Hulot at the same time blamed the government for failing to prioritize environmental issues.
Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux, for his part, said that he regrets Hulot's departure, which Griveaux said is "his way of doing things."
"I think the most basic courtesy would have been to warn the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister," Griveaux added.
