The real reason, why French is disappearing from our European classrooms is, that it is much more difficult to learn than the quite simple English. It is just the most convienient way with the lowest expenditure for pupils. BTW - like it or hate it - French and Italian are probably the most popular language in Europe because of their wonderful sound. Just like music. Not to compare with the heavy German or the harsh Slavic languages.
Of course it is nothing new that English has overtaken French or German as the world language since a long time. Contemporary kids need it as "the" communicationplatform in this world. Since all kids in Germany i.E. have to learn Engish from 6 years on it is normal to take French as a second language. But - O tempora! O mores! -The real looser in languages is Latin... Nobody wants to learn it anymore. :-(
Some people want to learn it or at least their parents want them to learn it:
http://www.stratfordcca.org/why_latin.php
>>French and Italian are probably the most popular language in Europe because of their wonderful sound.
Not to mention being spoken in very pretty countries--always great for a holiday to learn a language in the country of origin. Myself I prefer Spanish, but if I ever become fluent in that language, I will probably switch to French or Italian. I was surprised how much of both languages I could read while in each country, but listening comprehension? Forget it.
Latin would be great to learn as well, but as you say, no one teaches it anymore (or so it seems).
I would think people want to learn something useful. The french language doesn't qualify, nor does the country.