Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

POLITICS

Germany and France scrap parliamentary talks amid friction

The German government said Friday that a joint parliamentary meeting planned next week with France has been cancelled, days after both sides scrapped their cabinet talks over disagreements on various issues.

Published: 21 October 2022 14:16 CEST
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz with Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, and French President Emmanuel Macron, during the European Political Community meeting on October 7th.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz with Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, and French President Emmanuel Macron, during the European Political Community meeting on October 7th. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/CTK | Deml Ondøej

The parliamentary leaders of the German Bundestag, the French National Assembly and the Polish Sejm were due to meet in Augsburg under the Weimar Triangle format on Sunday and Monday.

But Bundestag speaker Bärbel Bas said the meeting will not go ahead “because of other commitments from the French side”.

Due to a key budget debate in France, its parliamentary chiefs were unable to travel to southern Germany for the talks.

“I regret it very much that we cannot meet personally in Augsburg. At the same time, I fully understand that the deliberations in France have priority,” said Bas in a statement.

France said it offered to keep to the appointment, with its parliament speaker Yael Braun-Pivet to join via video link while her deputy led the delegation to Augsburg.

But it said the German side had preferred to postpone the meeting.

The latest cancellation came as tensions were rising between France and Germany over issues from energy to military spending.

The two EU giants cancelled their cabinet meeting next week as Berlin said they needed “more time” to find common ground on a range of issues.

READ ALSO: German government delays talks with France as tensions build

France’s President Emmanuel Macron also issued a stinging warning to Germany ahead of the EU summit on Thursday, saying it was “not good” for Berlin to isolate itself.

Paris on Thursday also pulled the rug out from under Berlin’s plans to revive the MidCat pipeline project linking Spain and Portugal through the Pyrenees mountains.

Instead, it announced a new underwater conduit along with Madrid and Lisbon which would be initially used for natural gas before switching to hydrogen transportation.

Asked about the relationship between Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Macron, the German leader’s spokesman Wolfgang Büchner described it as “excellent”, while dismissing as speculation talks that disagreements dogged the pair.

He added that Germany welcomed the new pipeline project and expected to also benefit from it.

READ ALSO: France begins sending gas to Germany in ‘act of EU solidarity’

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS

Factcheck: Is France really trying to ban speaking English at the Paris Olympics?

A resolution by a group of French MPs to 'say non to English at the Paris Olympics' has generated headlines - but will athletes and visitors really be required to speak French?

Published: 3 May 2024 10:10 CEST
Factcheck: Is France really trying to ban speaking English at the Paris Olympics?

In a resolution adopted on Thursday, France’s Assemblée Nationale urged organisers of the 2024 Paris Games, as well as athletes, trainers and journalists, to use French as much as possible.

Annie Genevard, the sponsor of the resolution from the right-wing Les Républicains party, expressed alarm to fellow MPs that “the Olympic Games reflect the loss of influence of our language.”

The French MP’s resolution has garnered headlines, but does it actually mean anything?

Citing examples of English slogans in international sport, she added: “The fight for the French language … is never finished, even in the most official spheres.

“Let’s hope that ‘planche a roulettes’ replaces skateboard and ‘rouleau du cap’ point break (a surfing term), but I have my doubts.”

She’s right to doubt it – in French the skateboarding event is ‘le skateboard’, while the new addition of break-dancing is ‘le breaking‘.

But what does this actually mean?

In brief, not a lot. This is a parliamentary resolution, not a law, and is totally non-binding.

The Games are organised by the International Olympic Committee, the Paris 2024 Organising Committee and Paris City Hall – MPs do not have a role although clearly the Games must follow any French domestic laws that parliament passes.

The French parliament has got slightly involved with security issues for the Games, passing laws allowing for the use of enhanced security and surveillance measures including the use of facial recognition and drone technology that was previously outlawed in France.

So what do the Olympic organisers think of English?

The Paris 2024 organisers have shown that they have no problem using English – which is after all one of the two official languages of the Olympics. The other being French.

The head of the organising committee Tony Estanguet speaks fluent English and is happy to do so while official communications from the Games organisers – from social media posts to the ticketing website – are all available in both French and English.

Even the slogan for the Games is in both languages – Ouvrir grand les jeux/ Games wide open (although the pun only really works in French).

In fact the Games organisers have sometimes drawn criticism for their habit (common among many French people, especially younger ones) of peppering their French with English terms, from “le JO-bashing” – criticism of the Olympics – to use of the English “challenges” rather than the French “defis”.

The 45,000 Games volunteers – who are coming from dozens of countries – are required only to speak either French or English and all information for volunteers has been provided in both languages.

Paris local officials are also happy to use languages other than French and the extra signage that is going up in the city’s public transport system to help people find their way to Games venues is printed in French, English and Spanish.

Meanwhile public transport employees have been issued with an instant translation app, so that they can help visitors in multiple languages.

In short, visitors who don’t speak French shouldn’t worry too much – just remember to say bonjour.

Official language  

So why is French an official language of the Olympics? Well that’s easy – the modern Games were the invention of a Frenchman, the aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin, in the late 19th century.

Some of his views – for example that an Olympics with women would be “impractical, uninteresting (and) unaesthetic” – have thankfully been consigned to the dustbin of history, but his influence remains in the language.

The International Olympic Committee now has two official languages – English and French.

Official communications from the IOC are done in both languages and announcements and speeches at the Games (for example during medal ceremonies) are usually done in English, French and the language of the host nation, if that language is neither English nor French.

SHOW COMMENTS