[lg policy] Days after Brexit, the EU is already trying to get rid of English

[Harold Schiffman]

Days after Brexit, the EU is already trying to get rid of English [image:
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (C), French President Francois Hollande (L)
and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi attend a news conference at the
chancellery during discussions on the outcome of the Brexit in Berlin,
Germany, June 27, 2016]
Who needs English? (Reuters/Hannibal Hanschke)
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Written by Nikhil Sonnad <http://qz.com/author/nsonnadqz/>
Obsession Brexit <http://qz.com/on/brexit/>
June 28, 2016

*This story has been corrected.*

The UK’s vote to leave the EU is threatening what is arguably the greatest
achievement of the British Empire: the total ubiquity of the English
language. Just days after Britain’s vote, the EU began taking measures to
reduce the influence of English in the organization.

The EU has 24 official languages, English among them. The European
Commission, the EU’s executive body, uses just three languages for its
official business: French, German, and English.

Each EU member nation is allowed to nominate one official language. English
is on the list thanks to a nomination from the UK. The other predominantly
English-speaking countries in the EU left English for Britain; Ireland
nominated Irish Gaelic, and Malta selected Maltese. Without the UK, English
would lose its largest supporter, though it would be likely to remain an
official language, as any change to the EU’s language policy requires a
unanimous vote from its Council of Ministers. Being “official” allows
speakers to address the EU in a given language, and gives EU citizens the
right to access official documents translated into it.

Then there is the matter of the European Commission’s “working languages.”
The commission already appears to be shunning English in favor of French
and German. Jean-Claude Juncker, the commission’s president, is expected to
drop English from a normally trilingual speech to lawmakers, reported the
Wall Street Journal
<http://www.wsj.com/articles/eu-to-say-au-revoir-tschuss-to-english-language-1467036600>
(paywall), citing anonymous EU officials. The commission’s chief
spokesperson gave a press briefing in French
<http://www.miragenews.com/how-long-before-the-eu-does-away-with-english/>
rather than the usual mix of French and English.

Dropping English from the EU is of course an absurd proposition, despite a
pronouncement <https://twitter.com/RobertMenardFR/status/746265987410989056>
from one French mayor that “English no longer has any legitimacy in
Brussels.” English is by far the most widely spoken common language in both
EU countries and among EU officials, and is unquestionably the *lingua
franca* of multinational politics.

Whatever language high-level EU officers decide to use for press
conferences, English will be the working language of the rest of the
organization. A 2012 survey
<http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_386_en.pdf> from
Eurobarometer found that 38% of Europeans spoke English “well enough to be
able to hold a conversation,” compared to just 12% and 11% for French and
German, respectively.

Here’s a more anecdotal piece of evidence: A random job posting
<http://www.efca.europa.eu/sites/default/files/atoms/files/1604_EN.pdf>
seeking a data analyst at the European Fisheries Control Agency tells
applicants that they “may apply in any of the official languages of the
European Union” but that it would be “helpful” to do so in English because
“the Agency follows a practice of using English as working language.”

Not supporting English could make the EU’s version of the language pretty
strange <http://qz.com/679670>. More seriously, though, it could alienate
both English-speaking countries like Ireland, and the many non-French,
non-German-speaking member states, where English is by far the most common
second language.



*Correction: An earlier version of this story suggested that the UK leaving
the EU could remove English’s official language status. In fact, changes to
EU language policy require a unanimous vote
<https://ec.europa.eu/ireland/news/statement-on-behalf-of-the-European-Commission-Representation_en>
from its Council of
Ministers.http://qz.com/717914/days-after-brexit-the-eu-is-already-trying-to-get-rid-of-english/
<http://qz.com/717914/days-after-brexit-the-eu-is-already-trying-to-get-rid-of-english/>*
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