Keystone,
Note that I've visited all of these countries, with the exception of Ireland, and even in those where English was not the firs language, I never had any problems finding people who could speak English be it while conducting business or shopping or just interacting with everyday people on the street. Of course the same could be said for when I've been in places like India and Singapore.
But to your comment, I suspect that you're correct. I say this since take a place like Singapore, where some years ago the ruling party there issued an edict that not only would ALL children be taught English in their schools to point that they would be proficient in both the spoken and written word, but that all citizens of Singapore become at least passably fluent in spoken English. They knew that to be successful in business that their people must be able to communicate with the people whom were dominating the worlds of finance and technology.
While Latin and Greek may have been the languages of the classically educated people in the past and French was the language of Diplomacy and of the 'Court' (as in monarchies), English is definitely the language of business and finance. There was even a time when people getting advanced degrees in the sciences and engineering also took classes in German and many in Russian, however, I think that you will find that that's no longer the case. In fact, the people in Germany and Russia earning these degrees are now all learning English.
OCU
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