BRUSSELS (MarketWatch) -- Ernest-Antoine Seilliere, president of Unice, Europe's largest business lobby, would rather risk upsetting heads of state than abandon his choice of English as the Europe Union's language of business.
The morning after an enraged French President Jacques Chirac stormed out of a room where fellow-Frenchman Seilliere was delivering a speech in English, Seilliere's group said he would keep giving key speeches in English.
"He wants to speak in the language of business, and that is English. That's the official language of Unice, so that's what we use," Unice spokesman Carsten Dannoehl told Dow Jones Newswires Friday.
Dannoehl would not comment on Chirac's decision to walk out during Seilliere's speech Thursday evening.
Seilliere had been invited to this week's summit of European leaders on
energy policy and reinvigorating the European economy. Other speakers, such as European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet, chose to speak in his native French.
The rift between Chirac and Seilliere symbolizes a growing division between France and the rest of Europe. France has been criticized recently by free-market advocates because of riots paralyzing its ability to reform it labor markets and because of the last-minute merger between Suez (12052.FR) and Gaz de France (1020848.FR) orchestrated to fend off a bid for Suez by Italy's Enel SpA (EN).
But none of that was on the mind of Chirac when he refused to listen to Seilliere, French officials said. "It's a question of respect for the diversity the E.U. stands for," the diplomat said. "There are as many languages for business as there are economies, and there are 20 official languages in the E.U."
The E.U. provides simultaneous translation at summits, but leaders and diplomats often choose to speak in English so they can be immediately understood. The official everyday working languages of the European Commission are English and French.
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Gawd, France's Monkey, Our Monkey.. we oughta put 'em both in Zoo's!
5 bucks, three falls outta 5 on the French monkey.
