Signor Monti wants the EU to steal English
FORMER Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, pictured, has said English should be preserved as the main language of the EU, even though the UK was skipping out of the door.
Monti, also a former EU Commissioner and now a senator, was giving the keynote speech at the Foreign Press Association Media Awards where he suggested that the UK should be forced to leave one of its best products behind.
“The European Union, when the UK leaves, should take the decision of upgrading the use of the English language in European
Union affairs,” he said at the dinner at the Sheraton Grand last night. The EU has always conducted itself in two languages at its core, French and English, with the additional 22 languages used as required.
However now the UK is
LAST night’s Foreign Press Association Media Awards had Boris Johnson booked as the warm-up act to Mario Monti. The Foreign Secretary had to send his apologies — he was required to vote in the House — and sent a video message. Boris managed to speak up for those who practise journalism in hostile regimes: leaving, English’s automatic status isn’t a given.
Monti thought it should not just be used, but made the official tongue: “I think we should upgrade the ways we use English and it should become the language of the European Union. I exaggerate a bit — there should be a bit of French. It will be a very appropriate gesture to the UK. It would help us Europeans to become more competitive by using fewer languages.”
Not everyone in the room was happy about the suggestion. One member of the French Embassy in London, who was at the dinner, tweeted in protest. “Il y a des Français dans la salle [there are French people in the room] and they are quite surprised by your offensive against the use of French language in the EU! #Francophonie.” As if the European Banking Authority isn’t enough.
“We used to think barriers were breaking down just about everywhere, and more countries will inevitably come to benefit from a free media. Sadly that was a complacent assumption.” Shame Boris wasn’t there in person: the Reuters party present, and other journalists, would have liked to have buttonholed him.