Spain, Italy and France suspend their Anglo-Saxon struggle

Italy, France and Spain have decided to let the activities of the Latin Union fall into abeyance, citing financial reasons that seem less than ineluctable.

The unheralded Latin Union is an international organization based in Paris that was set up in 1954 with the aim of defending Romance languages and cultures against the encroachment of the Anglo-Saxon world. It groups together 40 countries, including East Timor and the Philippines, and has six official languages: Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese Romanian and Catalan.

The current secretary general of the organization, veteran Spanish diplomat José Luis Dicenta, says the decision to suspend the activities of the Latin Union was proposed by the ambassadors to UNESCO of the three countries that contribute most to its funding. That, however, amounts to less than two million euros a year divided among 36 full members and another four that have observer status.