Diplomatic Service Open Day
(B2) The European Diplomatic Service (EEAS) will open its doors to the public on May 9. This is the first time that the new EEAS building, located on the Rond Point Schuman, a stone's throw from the Parc du Cinquantenaire, has opened its doors in this way. If you are in Brussels, do not hesitate to cross the threshold. Most of the missions and operations supporting the rule of law and/or peacekeeping, deployed under the common security and defense policy (CSDP) made the trip. And the interior architecture of the building is worth a look. P lovers of monuments or ancient masterpieces will be disappointed. But its interior patio, quite simple, in wood and greenery, is, in my opinion, one of the most successful and "warmest" of European buildings which are often marked by an architectural coldness. European diplomats are lucky!
Monolingualism in action
From a formal point of view, we will notice that the EEAS only saw fit to communicate on this event in English. Indicate that we are "EU in the world" without using at least 3 - 4 languages is reductive. It's totally incomprehensible. And this reveals a very clear desire to communicate only in English. Because the internal linguistic resources exist. It should be noted that the two official languages in Brussels, the city of the EEAS headquarters, are French, Dutch (and German for Belgium). This gives a negative image of Europe unable to communicate with the world and its citizens other than in English. At a time when we are talking both about giving a sense of citizenship to Europe, it is not only stupidity, it is a political error and a breach characterized in the spirit as well as in the letter of the European treaties. The action undertaken by the association of European journalists - France section, of which I am one of the vice-presidents, (read: Please respect the use of French) is therefore more than determined to act for the respect of a certain multilingualism. To be continued...
NB: the logo on the poster was made from character collages made by schoolchildren in Paris and Brussels
(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)
