The city of Biel is more bilingual than ever
Published: Sunday, Mar 17th 2024, 06:40
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Despite the imminent change of canton from Moutier and the impending disappearance of the regional television station TeleBielingue, French is on the upswing in the canton of Bern and in Biel in particular. The proportion of French and German speakers in the city is approaching parity.
In many parts of Switzerland, Biel/Bienne is still considered to be more German-speaking. However, the reality paints a different picture.
According to the latest figures from the end of 2022, the proportion of French speakers was 43.4% - with a clear upward trend. In 2002, the proportion of French speakers was 38.7 percent, in 2012 it was 40.1 percent.
"The trend is clearly moving towards a balance between the two main language communities," Virginie Borel, director of the Forum for Bilingualism in Biel, told the Keystone-SDA news agency.
The transfer of the Bernese Jura town of Moutier to the canton of Jura in 2026 will not weaken the western Swiss camp of the canton of Bern, but could paradoxically even strengthen the current dynamic of the Grand Chasseral, the new identity of the Bernese Jura, according to Borel.
Indirectly, this could also strengthen the identity of Biel/Bienne, which is likely to become even more of a center of gravity for this region. "The future relocation of the Centre de Formation Professionelle Berne francophone (ceff) from Moutier to Biel is a step in this direction," explains Borel.
Resurgent interest
After a low point around 2000, when the population fell to around 48,000, Biel's demographic upturn took an astonishing turn. Now the city is approaching the 57,000 population mark. An upturn that is mainly due to the arrival of numerous newcomers, particularly from the cantons of Vaud, Neuchâtel and Jura, explains Biel's deputy town clerk Julien Steiner.
"Biel has invested in the building fabric and offers numerous apartments at relatively attractive prices, as well as benefiting from its central location in Switzerland. The healthy watchmaking and mechanical engineering industry also attracts many French speakers," explains Steiner.
In fact, in 2016, Biel conducted a campaign in favor of French speakers and bilingualism. This came after the last bilingualism barometer revealed a certain unease and difficulties for French speakers to find their place in economic and local life.
The campaign led to tangible results: Between 2013 and 2023, the proportion of French-speaking employees in the city administration rose from 35 to 40 percent. The number of French-speaking managers in particular increased, according to Steiner. The goal of achieving a 45% share of French-speaking managers by the end of 2024 will not be reached, "but we are slowly approaching it," says Steiner.
A fragile flower
"Bilingualism is a fragile flower that needs to be constantly nurtured," says Borel. The balance is delicate. The "French-speaking Biel" benefits from growing popularity in French-speaking Switzerland, but also from the contribution of a part of the foreign population, which makes up 33.1 percent of residents.
While people from Asia, the Balkan countries or Turkey tend to register with the authorities as "German-speaking", those from Africa most frequently state French as their official language. The number of inhabitants of African origin has increased tenfold between 1990 and today. Added to this is the influx of French workers into the region.
"With more than 150 nationalities, the city of Biel is multilingual rather than bilingual. 43 percent of the population is officially French-speaking, but that doesn't mean that the proportion of people who speak French well is just as high. The same applies to German speakers," says Borel.
According to Borel, bilingualism in Biel is strong and is nourished by a firm belief: the rejection of English and High German as a language of communication. "Swiss German and French are cultivated here," emphasizes Borel.
Finally, Borel also points out that Biel's municipal government could pass into French-speaking hands at the next elections for the first time in 60 years.
©Keystone/SDA
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