French blockade looms over Commission’s plan to fast-track trade deals in English
Eager to unlock new markets for EU businesses, the European Commission plans to accelerate trade deal ratification by circulating only English versions for approval by EU governments and the European Parliament – but sources told Euronews that Paris is set to oppose the move if it goes ahead.
France is preparing to challenge a European Commission proposal to fast-track ratification of trade agreements by exclusively using English language versions during talks with EU governments and lawmakers, according to several sources. The Commission, eager to accelerate negotiations and bring deals into force more quickly amid rising geopolitical tensions, wants to avoid the lengthy translation process into the bloc's 24 official languages.
However, France resolutely defends the use of all EU languages, particularly French, which is one of the Union's working languages. The Commission's trade chief, Maroš Šefčovič, has stated that the Mercosur agreement, which concluded negotiations on January 27th, could serve as a test case for using English as the primary language during ratification. Šefčovič emphasized that the Commission would ensure the agreements are translated into all 24 languages after ratification.
French officials insist that Paris will vigorously oppose the move to English-only agreements if necessary, citing legal and democratic issues. The Commission views linguistic diversity as essential, but relying solely on English during ratification could create problems for European Parliament members and national parliamentarians.
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