EU's Josep Borrell apologises for 'jungle' comments

Senior EU diplomat apologises for using metaphor that many, including the UAE, labelled racist

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell speaks to the media as he arrives for a meeting in Luxembourg. EPA

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell apologised on Tuesday for remarks made last week that sparked accusations of racism.

Mr Borrell had told aspiring diplomats in Belgium that the EU was like a “garden” and that the rest of the world was a “jungle” that could invade Europe.

On Monday, he doubled down on his remarks, but on Tuesday, he issued an apology on his blog.

“Some have misinterpreted the metaphor as 'colonial Eurocentrism'. I am sorry if some have felt offended,” he wrote in the blog post.

The metaphor of “the garden” and “the jungle” is not his invention, he said, and added that he understands the sensitivity around these terms because in the past, they have been voiced by “US neoconservatives, but I am far from this school of political thought”.

“Regrettably, the world in which we live today looks more and more like a 'jungle' and less and less like a 'garden', because in many parts of the world, the law of the strongest is eroding agreed international norms.

“That is why I spoke about the 'European garden': our record, thanks to our union, of cementing peace and co-operation among previously warring parties, with a shared commitment to uphold rules and laws.”

The foreign policy chief said the wars around the world are changing current geopolitics.

“We face a world of power politics with the weaponisation of interdependence and more examples of countries using force, intimidation and blackmail to get their way,” he continued.

“The growth of this lawless world and disorder is what I meant when talking about the ‘jungle’.

“We must take this trend seriously and that was my message to the students. Certainly, we should not retreat behind the false security of walls and isolationism.”

Mr Borrell said he had been misinterpreted when using the metaphor.

“I am sorry if some have felt offended,” he said and added that his reference had no “racist, cultural or geographical connotation”,

Neither Europe nor “the West” is perfect and some countries in “the West” have at times violated international legality, he added.

“There are many around the world who want a rules-based system, not one governed by a ‘might makes right’ attitude,” Mr Borrell said.

“It follows that ‘gardeners’, those who want to build a peaceful and lawful order, everywhere should unite and work together to beat back ‘the jungle'.”

Mr Borrell concluded his apology by saying he is totally opposed to any form of racism.

“In my current position, I have tried to tell Europeans, the students in Bruges and EU ambassadors not to barricade ourselves in our world of relative comfort, trying to protect it by building walls, but to engage more with the rest of the world, with an open spirit, looking at it the way it is and not according to our Eurocentric view,” he said.

The New York Times wrote that Mr Borrell's language could undermine the EU's efforts to bolster global partnerships.

On Monday, the UAE summoned the acting head of the EU delegation to Abu Dhabi to explain the remarks, which it viewed as racist, inappropriate and discriminatory.

MEPs previously told The National shortly before the publication of Mr Borrell's blog post on Tuesday that they believed that the 75-year-old Spanish politician should issue an apology.

“I don’t think Mr Borrell meant to be racist or colonial. The problem is that he used strongly colonial racist terminology so he should apologise if it was an honest mistake,” said German politician Hannah Neumann.

Following the outcry over the comments, a spokeswoman for the European Commission said President Ursula von der Leyen still “has confidence” in Mr Borrell.

The blunt-speaking Mr Borrell — who has also served as his country's foreign minister — has pushed for a more assertive EU that can flex its muscles on the international stage.

But he has also been known for the occasional gaffe.

Last year, he gave the wrong figures for the estimated number of Russian troops massed around Ukraine.

Earlier this year, he also drew criticism for saying the EU would supply fighter jets to help Kyiv fight Moscow — something that has yet to materialise.