Furious Emmanuel Macron SUES Brussels as he's left raging by EU job adverts published in English not French
French President Emmanuel Macron attends a press conference on the day of a European Union leaders summit in Brussels
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Emmanuel Macron has sued Brussels after the European Union advertised jobs in English rather than French.
The decision by the bloc’s bureaucrats left the French President furious as Paris still harbours hopes for the continent to move away from conversing in English post-Brexit.
Brussels is hiring new officials in space, defence and economics.
It will use a selection process involving tests which are only given in English.
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Paris fears the situation will favour anglophone candidates and subsequently filed two complaints to the EU’s top court.
Macron thinks English-only tests amount to discrimination and violate EU treaties.
The continental bloc continues to believe all EU citizens should be treated equally, regardless of nationality.
Rules on recruiting Brussels bureaucrats also ban language-based discrimination, with exceptions for limited conditions.
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The European Parliament meets for a session
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Despite the UK’s decision to leave the EU, the bloc’s official language is still English.
The EU’s website added: “English remains an official EU language, despite the United Kingdom having left the EU.
“It remains an official and working language of the EU institutions as long as it is listed as such in Regulation Number 1 English is also one of Ireland’s and Malta’s official languages.”
However, a French diplomat complained to Politico: “It discriminates against non-anglophone candidates.”
French President Emmanuel Macron talks to the media ahead of a European Council meeting
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Italy also reportedly supports the French position and warned “this is not a position against a specific language but in favor of multilingualism”.
The General Court of the EU, which adjudicates internal continental disputes, will rule on the issue within a year.
The bloc's final court of appeal, the Court of Justice of the EU, ruled in favour of Italy and Spain in similar cases earlier this year.
Paris has been pushing for French to have more significance during formal EU proceedings, including for preparatory meetings and notes.
French President Emmanuel Macron attends a press conference in Tirana
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French remains an official EU language, alongside 23 others.
It is also considered one of the Commission's three working languages, with English and German making up the remaining dialects.
More than 3,000 French nationals work at the Commission, making the nation the third most represented in the bloc's institutions behind both Italy and Belgium.
However, despite Christine Lagarde heading up the European Central Bank, French nationals are currently underrepresented among Brussels' top brass.