English only? Paris in a language dispute with the EU Commission
France is fighting for the role of the French language in the European Union and against applications for EU posts in English only. A corresponding complaint before the European Court of Justice (ECJ) is set to enter the decisive phase this Thursday with the oral hearing in Luxembourg.
France complains of "unjustified unequal treatment on the basis of language" because some tests in certain areas are only conducted in English. "The European Union's duty to preserve the richness of its cultural and linguistic diversity and to ensure the protection and development of Europe's cultural heritage has been violated", it says. Should such a language practice be systematized for all application procedures, French diplomatic circles said, English would be preferred as the only language in the long term. This would run counter to the multilingualism to which they feel committed.
Emotional topic
There are various reasons why the issue is so important and emotional for France that the country is taking the Commission to court over it. "France's problem is that we have gone from a situation in which French was the international language to one in which it no longer is," political scientist Christian Lequesne told the German Press Agency. There is also a certain nostalgia involved.
A lot of French was spoken when the European institutions were being set up, and almost all diplomats used to speak the language. In the meantime, this has declined massively. "That is what is difficult for the French to bear." In a report published by Lequesne 2020, among others, there was talk of a decline in linguistic diversity in the EU institutions in favor of English.
According to the professor at the renowned Parisian university Sciences Po, France's attitude is also due to its view of language and politics. "In the French view of power - and in this case - soft power, language counts." Ultimately, they believe that language is also used to make policy.
Lequesne is convinced that Paris has understood that imposing French would only meet with rejection. The promotion of multilingualism is therefore seen as a means of defending the language. "But in the end, of course, it is the French language that we want to protect." The battle is difficult to win, but if France doesn't fight it, no one will. Ultimately, it is also about the connection between the EU and its citizens - and they speak different languages.
The EU Commission does not comment on ongoing legal proceedings. It is endeavoring to promote multilingualism, a spokesperson said. An important part of the selection procedures has always been carried out in all 24 official languages. A ruling is not expected for several months.
The EU's promotion of multilingualism is seen by France as a means to protect and preserve the French language, as French diplomatic circles believe that using English as the sole language for EU posts would violate the EU's duty to preserve linguistic diversity and cultural heritage. The issue is particularly emotional for France due to its historical role as an international language and the decline of French in EU institutions over time.
Source: www.dpa.com
