French connections
The five million French speakers of Switzerland and Belgium
Nol Wickland
Less excitable and plainer-speaking than their metropolitan French neighbours, the francophones of Belgium and Switzerland require separate attention both as marketing target groups and business partners. This essay (the third in a series about the new Europe, concerned more with its cultural diversity than its decaying post-1815 frontiers) affectionately interprets the staid French-speaking Swiss and diffident Walloons, as reflected by their distinct attitudes and thriving print media.
Not everything Francophone happens in France. To the north live some 4 million Belgians, to the south-east 1...