Not speaking French closes far fewer EU doors than most candidates assume. The Staff Regulations require two official EU languages, not French specifically, and English satisfies the thorough-knowledge condition on its own. The vacancies below are at institutions and agencies whose working language is English in practice: decentralised agencies, the European Central Bank, and the technical Commission services. Each listing links to the official vacancy notice, where the formal language requirement is always stated explicitly.

Where French genuinely does not matter

EU decentralised agencies were mostly created after 2000, recruit across all member states, and standardised on English from the start. Frontex in Warsaw, Europol in The Hague, EMA in Amsterdam, ECDC in Stockholm and ENISA in Athens all run meetings, drafting and reporting in English. The European Central Bank goes further: it recruits under its own conditions of employment and expects written work in English only, with a B2 minimum on entry. If your profile is English plus your mother tongue, these employers assess you on your expertise, not your French.

The two-language rule still applies

For posts under the EU Staff Regulations, you must still present a second official EU language at B2 level at application time - the rule is about two languages, not about French. Your mother tongue counts if it is one of the 24 official languages, so most EU-national candidates satisfy the requirement without any French at all. Only monolingual English speakers need to build a second language to B2, which is roughly a year of evening classes. Read the full breakdown in our language requirements guide at /guide/language-requirements/.

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Business Manager

NSPA Luxembourg

**Post No AX055/ Ref. No 2026_00454** **JOB DESCRIPTION (See link to the full job description in the blue box)** * A Bachelor’s level qualificatio...

Deadline: 19 Aug 2026

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Frequently asked questions

Can I really get an EU job without speaking any French?
Yes. The legal requirement is two official EU languages, and English plus your mother tongue satisfies it. Whole categories of employer, including the ECB and most decentralised agencies, work in English only. French only becomes decisive at the Court of Justice, in Luxembourg-based services and in some EEAS delegation postings.
Will not speaking French hurt me at the assessment centre?
EPSO assessment centres run in your language 2, which for most candidates is English. If you declare English as language 2, the case study, group exercise and interview are conducted in English. French never enters the process unless you choose it.
Do Brussels-based Commission jobs require French in practice?
Less than the city's reputation suggests. Technical DGs such as CLIMA, ENV, ENER, CONNECT and DIGIT draft almost exclusively in English. French appears when files go to the legal service and in some older policy DGs, but daily meetings in most units run in English. Knowing French helps socially in Brussels; it is rarely a hiring criterion.
Which second language should I learn if not French?
Any official EU language at B2 satisfies the Staff Regulations, so pick the one you can reach fastest - usually a language close to one you already speak. For career purposes inside the institutions, French and German remain the most useful third languages for the Article 45 promotion requirement, but they are not needed to get hired.
Are these listings updated as new English-friendly vacancies appear?
Yes. This page filters the live vacancy feed, which is refreshed daily from every EU institution and agency we track. Positions whose deadlines pass drop out automatically, and new postings that match appear as soon as we index them.
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