The EU has narrowly voted to renew the license of glyphosate for another five years, after Germany backed the European Commission's (EC) proposal against the wishes of France.

After months of indecisive votes among the 28 member states, Germany, whose Chancellor Angela Merkel has yet to form a new coalition after a September election, came off the fence after abstaining in previous meetings, Reuters reported.

The EC said that 18 countries had backed its proposal to renew the chemical’s license. Nine countries were against and one abstained, giving a “positive opinion” by the narrowest possible margin under rules requiring more than a simple majority.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who was elected in May on a platform of pursuing deeper EU integration alongside Germany, had wanted a shorter extension and a rapid phasing out of glyphosate.

After the vote, he said he would take all necessary measures to ban the product, originally developed by Monsanto, as soon as an alternative is available and at the latest within three years. 

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