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Ray Bassett, Ireland’s former ambassador to Canada, Jamaica and the Bahamas, was speaking after a spat during between French MEPs Karima Delli and Julie Lechanteaux during a virtual parliamentary session. Mrs Lechanteaux, a member of the right-wing National Rally party, was given two minutes to speak by Green MEP Mrs Delli, who was chairing the meeting.<\/p>\n
However, Mrs Delli stopped Mrs Lechanteaux when she began talking in French, asking her to switch to English, explaining there were no translators available.<\/p>\n
Mrs Lechanteaux refused, explaining: “Especially since we no longer have the UK here, so we no longer have anyone who speaks English.”<\/p>\n
Mr Bassett’s recent book, Ireland and the EU Post Brexit, warns of an increasing tendency to downplay the importance of English as a language spoken and understood by many MEPs.<\/p>\n
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He told Express.co.uk: “I predicted that the French would push to downgrade English in EU institutions post-Brexit.<\/p>\n
“However it will be difficult because English is the second language in most EU countries.”<\/p>\n
Referring to his country’s 13 members of the assembly, he added: “Irish MEPs are not known for their multilingual skills.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Ditch the French! Kids should learn Japanese instead, Boris told<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n “They will be concerned about any reduction in English.”<\/p>\n In his book, Mr Bassett highlighted a claim by former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in 2017 that “losing importance in the EU”.<\/p>\n He said: “As I said in the book the Irish would sorely miss the British presence after Brexit.”<\/p>\n DON’T MISS<\/strong> The EU post-Brexit is proving to be a cold house for the Irish<\/p>\n Ray Bassett<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In respect of the exchange between Mrs Delli and Mrs Lechanteaux, Mr Bassett, an advocate of a so-called Irexit, added: “It shows how little importance the French place in Ireland.<\/p>\n “We have been useful to the EU during Brexit but now there is no need to consider our interests.<\/p>\n “The EU post-Brexit is proving to be a cold house for the Irish.”<\/p>\n Speaking to Express.co.uk in August, Mark Littlewood, director-general of the Institute for Economic Affairs, told Express.co.uk English will only become more important in the years to come.<\/p>\n He explained: “English is increasingly the global language of commerce.<\/p>\n “The European Union has got an interesting question facing it.<\/p>\n “Does it remain largely bilingual, despite the fact that the only native English speakers will be the very small Republic of Ireland?<\/p>\n “Or does it sort of put two fingers up to the English-speaking world and say ‘no we’re going to do everything in French?’<\/p>\n “I think what they do is very introspective and inward-looking.”<\/p>\n As for the rest of the world, Mr Littlewood added: “The use of the English language in other parts of the world is growing all the time – in India for example.<\/p>\n “We have the enormous benefit, the Americans and ourselves, of speaking the same language.<\/p>\n “So I don’t think that English is going to diminish as the global language of commerce.”<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/139\/590x\/secondary\/Ray-Bassett-2927484.jpg?r=1614462666675\")
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