This article will discuss the current status of French and English as global languages within two main areas of use: politics, and economics – and determine the extent to which French is under threat from the global rise of English within these contexts.

Within the European Union, there are 24 “official” languages recognised by the European Commission – yet English, French, and German are the only three that are deemed “working languages.”

This provides numerous opportunities for both English and French to be used within European politics. However, data taken from plenary debates within European Parliament in 2012 reveals that, in total, English was the most spoken language with a ratio of 129 spoken hours to 38 spoken hours in French. (Codrea-Rado, 2014). This suggests that English occupies dominance over the French language within the European political system.

According to Olga Cosmidou, director-general for interpretation within European Parliament, “If a Member of European Parliament (MEP) does not have a translator, or if their collaborators are not of the same nationality but both speak English, English is used as a lingua franca” (Codrea-Rado, 2014). The use of English as the principal language within parliamentary debate, as opposed to French or German, demonstrates the influence and importance of the English language within European politics.

The same idea that English as a lingua franca poses a threat to the French language can be supported further when assessing the role of English in political policy. The General Secretariat of the Council of the EU (GSC) follows three separate language procedures when releasing political statements, policies and documents to its members. (European Council, 2017). In two out of three of these procedures, content is to be published only in English and French – therefore providing an equal opportunity for both languages to be used, and eradicating the threat of the global rise of English over