Juncker says influence of English language is fading

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker took a swipe at Britain, saying he would not give a speech in English because the language was becoming less significant following Brexit.


"Slowly but surely English is losing importance in Europe," Mr Juncker told a conference in Florence before switching into French and drawing applause from his audience of EU officials, local leaders and Italian students.

Mr Juncker, who hails from Luxembourg, speaks several European languages fluently and regularly uses English at international gatherings.

He said he also wanted to speak French to be better understood in France ahead of Sunday's final presidential election round.
 rte.ie
5/5/17