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Which language do actors speak within European institutions? What are the variables leading agents from various countries and cultural backgrounds to agree on a working language? What is the importance of such a choice from the vantage point of these actors and what can be its consequences? This paper questions the taken-for-granted dimension of the languages used within European institutions building on a study of the EU representative bodies based in Niger. The article emphasizes the local and international struggles in which these choices are embedded. The first section shows the effects of the use of French language on the internal organisation of the EU capacity-building mission (EUCAP Sahel). The second section stresses the subversion logics which occur at the headquarter. The third section shows how linguistic issues may reorder power relations at the local level.