Josep Borrell’s statement is problematic, condemnable

In a recent speech at the inauguration of the new Diplomatic Academy in Belgium late last week, the European Union’s top diplomat made a speech that likened Europe to a garden, with the rest of the world beyond its borders a jungle.

One can only hope that this was a rare slip from Josep Borrell, the High Representative of European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, rather than being meant with the full context and connotations inextricably inherent in an overtly racist sentiment.

That Borrell’s speech was delivered in the new centre in Bruges, meant to be the incubator for the next generation of diplomats, certainly seems out of lockstep.

The reality is that since the worst of the refugee crisis seven years ago, where millions were displaced from social, political, religious and economic unrest across much of the wider Middle East, sub-Saharan and near-East regions, the bloc of 27 nations that Borrell represents, has largely failed to integrate large numbers of the most desperate within its borders.

With the exception of Germany, which under former Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed a million refugees from Syria and Iraq, governments in several European nations have erected logistical, administrative and indeed physical barriers to shut frontiers to refugees from the Middle East and elsewhere. And the recent surge of refugees from Ukraine shows the double standard that is implicit in Borrell’s ‘gardening’ sentiments.

In a statement issued by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC), the Ministry expressed its rejection of Borrell’s remarks, characterising them as racist and noting that these statements contribute to a worsening climate of intolerance and discrimination worldwide.

The remarks are a disappointing development, the UAE noted, that comes at a time when all parties are aware of the importance of respect for other religions, cultures, and ethnic groups, as well as values such as pluralism, coexistence, and tolerance.

The EU’s top diplomat would do well to fully realise that the political and economic body he represents relies to a large part on playing its full role in the world economy.

That is a global marketplace where people from every background meet, produce, buy and sell, and the overtly racist sentiments expressed in Borrell’s speech undermine the EU’s commitment to a full and inclusive place in the wider global economy.

Long gone are the days where Europe was economically dominant from its imperial and colonial activities — and exploitation — on foreign shores. No, we live in a world where there is no place for such institutionalised racist ideology.

Borrell would do well to reflect on his hurtful words, his sentiments and indeed on his position as the EU’s top diplomat. A full retraction is in order.