economy
France opposes ‘anglicisation’ of EU trade talks
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TL;DR
- The EU is proposing to draft trade deals exclusively in English to expedite the process, potentially cutting preparation time from two years to one.
- France and Italy are resisting this proposal, citing constitutional requirements that treaties be in their national languages.
- Opponents also express concerns about the erosion of the EU's commitment to multilingualism.
- Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič argues that delays in trade deals cost the EU significant GDP growth, citing a €50bn annual loss from postponed implementation of the Mercosur deal.
- The EU aims to sign more trade agreements to diversify trade away from the US and China.