South West UK
Brussels Office
Marcus Scheuren works as a European Officer for the South West UK Brussels Office (SWUKBO). The office provides regional representation to the European Union and employs 6 staff in Brussels and one in the South West.
The South West UK Brussels Office gives the SW a unified voice in Brussels. The office works to ensure the European Institutions fully understand the needs and opportunities of the South West of England and its sub-regions; to provide partners with the information and intelligence necessary for them to optimise the benefit of EU membership; and to develop transnational links with other EU regions.
The office does not trade as such, but has contacts with EU institutions (Commission, Parliament, Council, Committee of the Regions), it also deals with other regional offices and interest representations from all 25 EU member states.
Speaking each other's language smooths communication
Among the staff there are English, Welsh, French, Greek, German and Spanish speakers and although most communications are in English due to the nature of the environment they are in, the organisation appreciates on a daily basis the value of being able to speak the language of your colleagues .
French and Flemish are spoken in Brussels, and French is regularly used when the office is in contact with EU institutions or Belgian Authorities. Other languages also come into play on occasion.
Marcus explains why it is valuable to communicate in other languages, 'using the appropriate language is a daily necessity for us to make the South West needs and opportunities understood by our partners in Europe, and to also enable us to "communicate" with them better. We also make sure we use our foreign languages every day which in turn enables us to keep them up to speed.
Being chosen as a Business Language Champions will allow us to inform children that learning foreign languages provides you with great opportunities to succeed in your career in an increasingly open market in Europe. It will also enable us to forge stronger links between the South West UK Brussels Office and schools in the South West, giving us a better understanding of foreign language learning in the South West.
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