Ali
03-24-2006, 06:39 AM
Chirac upset by English address
French President Jacques Chirac showed his temper at the EU summit when a French business leader addressed delegates in English.
He stormed out of a session when Ernest-Antoine Seilliere said he chose English "because that is the accepted business language of Europe today".
Protectionism was expected to be a hot topic at the Brussels summit.
Mr Chirac returned to hear the French president of the European Central Bank address the leaders in French.
Mr Chirac's protest came when Mr Seilliere, the French president of the employers' association UNICE, said he would address the meeting in English.
Business language
According to a French official, Mr Seilliere was interrupted by Mr Chirac, who asked him in French why on earth he was speaking English.
He replied that English was the working language of that particular session and the accepted business language of Europe today.
Mr Chirac, Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy and Finance Minister Thierry Breton left the room.
It is not the first time Mr Chirac has made a point of defending the French language in the international arena.
At previous gatherings he has stuck to French, using an interpreter to translate into English, despite the fact that he has a good understanding of English, having spent time in his youth as a Harvard student and forklift driver at a US brewery.
Mr Seilliere went on to urge EU leaders to "resist national protectionism in order to avoid a negative domino effect".
Italy has accused France of protectionism over a controversial deal to merge Gaz de France and Suez, which was a takeover target for Italian firm Enel.
French used to be the lingua franca for most EU business, but with the expansion of the EU to 25 member states, English is becoming even more dominant.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, who often switches between languages in speeches and press conferences, later stuck to French in his address to the meeting.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/4840160.stm
French President Jacques Chirac showed his temper at the EU summit when a French business leader addressed delegates in English.
He stormed out of a session when Ernest-Antoine Seilliere said he chose English "because that is the accepted business language of Europe today".
Protectionism was expected to be a hot topic at the Brussels summit.
Mr Chirac returned to hear the French president of the European Central Bank address the leaders in French.
Mr Chirac's protest came when Mr Seilliere, the French president of the employers' association UNICE, said he would address the meeting in English.
Business language
According to a French official, Mr Seilliere was interrupted by Mr Chirac, who asked him in French why on earth he was speaking English.
He replied that English was the working language of that particular session and the accepted business language of Europe today.
Mr Chirac, Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy and Finance Minister Thierry Breton left the room.
It is not the first time Mr Chirac has made a point of defending the French language in the international arena.
At previous gatherings he has stuck to French, using an interpreter to translate into English, despite the fact that he has a good understanding of English, having spent time in his youth as a Harvard student and forklift driver at a US brewery.
Mr Seilliere went on to urge EU leaders to "resist national protectionism in order to avoid a negative domino effect".
Italy has accused France of protectionism over a controversial deal to merge Gaz de France and Suez, which was a takeover target for Italian firm Enel.
French used to be the lingua franca for most EU business, but with the expansion of the EU to 25 member states, English is becoming even more dominant.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, who often switches between languages in speeches and press conferences, later stuck to French in his address to the meeting.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/4840160.stm