French language eyes post-Brexit return
BRUSSELS — Once upon a time speaking French was easy in Brussels, but things have changed.
Bruno Le Maire, France’s finance minister, felt that keenly during a recent panel event with European steelmakers after several hours of speaking English with EU counterparts.
“Maybe one in French if possible, otherwise I will run the risk of being criticized,” Le Maire, who speaks perfect English, said as he scanned the audience for questions.
But raised hands quickly dropped away, leaving just one from a journalist, who asked the question in English anyway.
Such is the fate of the speaker of French in today’s EU bubble, that small world of European decision-making where the language of Catherine Deneuve and Moliere was once essential.
Even after the shock vote of Brexit, English — or at least that simplified, beat-up version known as Globish — is firmly rooted as the lingua franca of the Brussels elite.
“In the last 20 years, English has become completely dominant. French is not going to replace English in any way,” said Nicolas Veyron, one of the most respected economists in Brussels, who spends most of his day speaking English although he is French.
That reality stings for French-speaking veterans of the Brussels bubble who remember a time when the top echelon of Europe was a coterie of Francophones.
“The retreat of French has been catastrophic,” said Jean Quatremer, the longtime EU correspondent for French daily Liberation who has championed holding the line against the advance of English.
Plan to promote
This is not to say that French has disappeared.
On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron is set to announce a plan to promote the French language on the “International Francophonie Day”.
Veyron said that while French is not fundamental in Brussels, using it “makes the conversation richer, offers extra meaning, nuance to the discussion”.
“I know many people who are not native speakers who enjoy turning to French to add an extra dimension to a conversation,” said the economist.