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Activists are protesting against Macron in Paris, demanding that there be vaccines for all countries on the planet. PHOTO: Photos: Reuters
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He replaced English after 7 months, when Paris took over the council
The government of Emmanuel Macron is preparing plans to replace French as the official “working language” of the EU when France takes over the presidency of the EU Council in January 2022, a diplomat was quoted as saying by Politico. Paris sees its first post-Brexit leadership in the union as an opportunity to push its native language for the lingua franca of Brussels.
“Even if we recognize that English is a working language and is often practiced, speaking French remains completely in place in the EU institutions,” said a senior French diplomat. He commented that
all high meetings
board level will be
conducted in French instead
in English
during the 6-month presidency.
The notes and minutes will be “first in French”, with the Council of the EU, the body that helps set the political agenda in Brussels, expecting all letters from the European Commission to be in the same language.
Authorities in Paris are also allocating a budget for more French classes for EU civil servants. France has previously used its presidency to promote its language. Authorities now say the revival of the French language is a matter of cultural survival for all. According to them, this is a way to stop the so-called globish – English, full of foreign eccentricities, in favor of vital multilingualism. But for some it is
illustration
in French
arrogance
and nostalgia for a time when their language was preferred by diplomats.
The presidency of the Council of the EU, which Paris takes over from January to July next year, will be France’s first term since 2008, when Nicolas Sarkozy was president. Macron’s ministers will work actively to push English into the background, especially after Britain leaves the bloc.
EU Minister Clement Bonn and Secretary of State Jean-Baptiste Lemoine said the presidency created “an opportunity for this vital struggle for multilingualism”. In an article on Figaro, they point out that the use of French in Brussels “has decreased in favor of English, and more often the simple globe, which narrows the scope of some thoughts and limits the ability to express.”
France is far from the only country that has chosen to hold council meetings in its mother tongue. But the practice has become far less noticeable in recent years, with many countries – especially small ones,
switch to
English to
save time
and to guarantee
the better
their understanding
For example, Portuguese Ambassador to the EU Nuno Brito, whose country currently holds the helm of the council, speaks mostly English at meetings. But as often happens, the French like to do it the French way, notes Politico. Diplomats in Paris traditionally speak their mother tongue at regular meetings of EU ambassadors – known as Coreper – whether or not their country holds the presidency.
In Brussels itself, France will deploy a permanent staff member to oversee the “French presence in the European institutions”. Prof. Natasha Ficarelli, an expert on European affairs, was recently appointed to lead these efforts.
Given that French is one of the three working languages of the European Commission, as well as one of the two languages spoken by the Council, it still occupies a prominent position within the EU.
With 3246 employees with French citizenship
It’s France
the third strongest
represented in the EC
country after
Italy and Belgium
According to the commission, almost 80% of EC employees by 2020 spoke French as a first, second or third language. In 2021 alone, there were 143,099 pages of laws, web content, letters and press releases translated into French.
However, the language has long lost ground over English as the EU’s main working language, especially as the union began to expand east and north. In 2004, when 10 predominantly Central and Eastern European countries joined, this trend intensified.
French officials now note that with Britain’s exit from the EU, there are only two relatively small EU members, Ireland and Malta, which use English as their official language. And together with Irish and Maltese. For everyone else, it is a second language at best.
France’s insistence will inevitably be met with dissatisfaction by many in the EU. Eastern European diplomats are particularly annoyed, as they often do not speak French, but usually speak English. “There may be disagreements,” the diplomat said. “Some are afraid they might miss something because their French isn’t that good either.”
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