On Friday, Berlin cited financial and geopolitical reasons for its decision to close several branches of the Goethe Cultural Institutes, including three locations in France, a country where the announcement caused strong emotions, the France Presse and Agerpres agencies reported.

“It is about ‘necessary reforms’ in view of the ‘development of geopolitical and financial conditions,'” explained the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during another press conference.

In France, the Goethe Institutes in Lille and Bordeaux will close, as well as the liaison office in Strasbourg.

Seven other branches in the worldwide network of 158 will cease operations, including in Turin, Genoa and Trieste (Italy), Rotterdam (Netherlands) and Washington (USA).

The network, which is a pillar of German cultural and linguistic diplomacy, must adapt “to the changing times,” spokeswoman Kathryn Deschauer said.

The announcement of these closures sparked violent protests in the affected regions of France. He intervenes at a time when Franco-German relations are going through a difficult period, affected by a number of controversial political topics.

The Elysée Palace admitted that the signal sent was “not very comforting at the moment”.

In France and Germany, the number of students learning the language of the neighboring country is constantly decreasing

For Strasbourg (East), this is “a new blow to bilingualism, ignoring the history of (the region of) Alsace, ignoring the history of our two countries,” lamented Frédéric Beery, president of the Collectivite europeenne d’Alsace.

In the region where the city of Bordeaux (southwest) is located, the local authorities mourned the loss of an “irreplaceable” place that “embodied on earth the principles of Franco-German friendship and the Elysée Treaty, the 60th anniversary of which we are celebrating this year.”

The Goethe-Institut in Lille, opened in 1957, was “the first in France,” the northern French metropolis said.

The elected officials are addressing the German government in the context of a two-day meeting between President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, together with ministers from the two countries, on Monday and Tuesday in Hamburg.

In France and Germany, the number of students learning the language of the neighboring country is constantly decreasing.

As part of the announced reform, the Goethe-Institut intends to intensify its activities in Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, the South Pacific and the central United States. The cuts also take into account budget allocations announced to be cut by 3.3% next year.

In France, the Goethe Institutes in Paris, Lyon (with a branch in Marseille) and Nancy remain, as well as a branch in Toulouse, which no longer offers language courses.