English language losing its importance, says EU chief as Brexit negotiation row continues
EUROPEAN COMMISSION president Jean-Claude Juncker has said “English is losing importance in Europe” as he accused the UK of “abandoning” the EU.
The senior Brussels bureaucrat made the mocking remark during a conference speech delivered in French after UK Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon advised that Brexit talks would be easier if commission officials “kept their views to themselves”.
Sir Michael also bemoaned “one-sided leaking” from commission officials as he defended Prime Minister Theresa May’s scathing attack on Brussels in the wake of negative press stories about the negotiations on Britain’s exit from the EU. Brexit Secretary David Davis added the commission was “trying to bully the British people”, adding on BBC One’s “The British people will not be bullied, and the Government will not allow them to be bullied.”
The public jibes traded by London and Brussels did little to suggest European Council president Donald Tusk’s appeal for discretion in the negotiations – a plea widely viewed as being aimed at Mr Juncker’s office – was being listened to.
Speaking in Italy, Mr Juncker joked: “I will express myself in French because, slowly but surely, English is losing importance in Europe.” He described Brexit as “a tragedy”, explaining: “Now growth in the EU is twice that in the US and I feel we can be reassured as far as the immediate future is concerned.
“And at that point – despite the success, despite the growth – our British friends decided to leave the EU, which is a tragedy.
“We shouldn’t under-estimate the importance of the decision made by the British people. It is no small event.
“Of course we will negotiate with our British friends in full transparency, but there should be no doubt whatsoever that it is not the EU which is abandoning the UK, it is the opposite.”