«It seems to me that France mainly perceived Europe as an attempt to affirm and defend its cultural and linguistic hegemony on the Continent. This battle was effectively lost when Europe was enlarged to include Finland, Sweden, and Austria, and French was replaced by English at press conferences in Brussels, because Scandinavians don't speak French. These things are much more important for the French than we normally realize. Europe, for them, nedded to promote the role, culture, and language of France. Today, in my opinion, the French drive for European integration has abated. They have less interest in the process, now that their centrality has been visibly diminished.»
Eric Hobsbawm, On the Edge of the New Century
[João Carlos Silva]
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