French connections - the five million French speakers of Switzerland and Belgium

The French speakers of Switzerland and Belgium, less excitable and plainer speaking than their metropolitan neighbours in France, require separate attention both as marketing target groups and business partners.

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...

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