France opposes applications for EU positions that are only available in English and is fighting for the place of the French language in the EU.
This Thursday’s oral hearing in Luxembourg is the crucial stage in a related complaint before the European Court of Justice.
Because certain exams in specific fields are exclusively given in English, France is criticizing “unjustified unequal treatment on the basis of language.”…
“There has been a violation of the European Union’s duty to ensure the protection and development of Europe’s cultural heritage and to preserve the richness of its cultural and linguistic diversity,” the complaint claims.
Speaking exclusively English would be preferred in the long run, according to French diplomatic circles, if such linguistic practices were to be systematized for all application procedures.
This would contradict their sense of commitment to multilingualism.
For France, this is an emotive matter.
Political analyst Christian Lequesne told DPA, “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.”
A certain nostalgia is also present.
When the European institutions were being established, a great deal of French was spoken, and nearly all diplomats spoke it at one point. Meanwhile, this has drastically decreased.
Lequesne stated, “That is what the French find difficult to bear.”
Language variety at EU institutions is declining in favor of English, according to a 2020 Lequesne paper titled Linguistic variety and the French Language in Europe.
The lecturer at Sciences Po Strasbourg University claims that France’s perspective on language and politics also contributes to its attitude.
“Language matters in the French conception of power, which includes soft power in this instance.”
In the end, they think that policy is also made through language.
He remarked that although it is a difficult battle to win, no one would fight it if France didn’t.
In the end, it’s also about the relationship between the EU and its multilingual population.
According to a European Commission spokesperson, the organization works to encourage multilingualism but does not comment on current legal processes.
All 24 official languages have traditionally played a significant role in the selecting process.
A ruling is not anticipated for a few months.
