Macron to push for French rather than English in Brussels

President Macron is hoping the use of English at EU meetings can be replaced by French once the UK leaves the European Union.

British expats living and working in Brussels in EU-associated positions have had it easy as regards language, with English truly the world’s premier tongue. The Brussels bubble used to use French in its decision-making, with President Macron now urging his native lingo should again be number one. However, according to a highly-respected Brussels economist, over the past two decades English has established itself as the bloc’s ‘lingua franca’ - so to speak -and is unlikely to change.

It’s a painful reality for French speaking veteran politicians who remember a time when a coterie of francophones dominated Europe’s top political echelon, with one such calling the demise of French as a diplomatic language nothing short of a catastrophe. Others remember times when foreign journalists including Boris Johnson had to be more or less fluent in French in order to report on the bloc’s doings, at least until 2004, when a number of former Warsaw Pact states were allowed to enter the EU and change its face forever.

Early next week, President Macron will announce his scheme to promote French as an important international world language by celebrating International Francophone Day, his latest measure in a crusade to re-establish French as the language of international diplomacy worldwide. What this may mean for British expats living and working in Brussels if it’s successful is as yet unclear, but it might be an idea to improve on one’s schoolboy French before making a job application. However, in the list of the world’s most widely spoken tongues, English tops the poll at 38 per cent, with French trailing far behind on just 12 per cent. The figures tell it all – in English numerals, of course.