Polish minister learning French amid speculation on EU top jobs

Charles Grant, director of the CER, noted that Sikorski and Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt are both "extremely well qualified" to replace Ashton. But he warned that they tend to speak too "frankly" for some EU countries' tastes.

"Now that the EEAS [European External Action Service] is up and running and everybody understands the role of the HRVP, I hope we will see someone with a big profile who can actually lead EU foreign policy rather than acting as a spokesman for EU foreign ministries," Grant said.

As for Sikorski's joke on French food, Grant added: "He speaks English better than most English people, having attended Oxford University, so he should have no problem applying those skills to French."