Britain is trying to change the language rules for candidates seeking civil service jobs in the European Union, according to an article in the Telegraph.

Whilst currently candidates are expected to take admissions exams in a second language, Britain is seeking to have this changed so pre-selection tests can be taken in the first language.

With the declining number of students taking a foreign language at school, along with closures of university language departments, it is perhaps not a surprise that British candidates are put off by the second language requirement.

As I’ve mentioned previously, the EU has 23 official languages. Surely the focus should be on encouraging British people to learn the languages of our neighbours, rather than changing the rules to ensure they don’t need to?