The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs has appropriately elevated responsibilities. He or she “shapes the standing of the European Union on the global stage”, according to the EU’s website. The representative, Josep Borrell, is also the Vice President of the European Commission, the EU’s executive body, and is head of the union’s diplomatic service.
So it was surely someone else, possibly “someone from the far right”, as the prominent Filipino academic Aries Arugay tweeted, who said the following last week: “Europe is a garden ... It is the best combination … that humankind has been able to build. Most of the rest of the world is a jungle, and the jungle could invade the garden. The gardeners have to go to the jungle. Otherwise, the rest of the world will invade us, by different ways and means.”
It was, however, Mr Borrell who was speaking in Bruges at the inauguration of the European Diplomatic Academy. Was such patently undiplomatic language a slip of the tongue? No. The speech was pre-released. Did any of the highly paid Eurocrats who advise Mr Borrell warn him against using wording so offensive that the UAE has summoned the acting head of the EU mission to explain the "inappropriate and discriminatory" remarks? It didn’t make any difference if so. Did his predecessor, Federica Mogherini, who was looking on, object? Did anyone in the audience heckle or shout “shame”? I have watched the speech and they did not.
So the EU’s High Representative to the globe has basically announced that in his view, Europe is civilised (perhaps he includes countries dominated by European settlers too), and the rest of the world is uncivilised. If anyone thinks that it is a stretch of interpretation, be clear that he was using the word “jungle” in a highly derogatory sense. “A nice small garden surrounded by high walls in order to prevent the jungle from coming in is not going to be a solution,” he went on. “Because the jungle has a strong growth capacity, and the wall will never be high enough in order to protect the garden.”
Sometimes the mask does slip
This is only a step away from the odious “great replacement” conspiracy theory – that hordes of immigrants, chiefly Muslim, are supposedly set to overwhelm the continent and its white inhabitants’ cultures. No wonder Europe is so keen to welcome those fleeing the Ukrainian “garden” but not those from the “jungles” of North Africa, the Middle East, or Asia.
Mr Borrell went further, concluding by telling his young “gardeners” that “your duty will not be to take care of the garden itself but of the jungle outside". Ah yes, it’s just like the “mission civilisatrice”, or civilising mission, that former French colonies from Algeria to Vietnam remember so fondly. A Russian foreign affairs spokeswoman responded to the speech with a clarity that reflects outrage throughout the “jungle”. “Europe built that ‘garden’ through the barbaric plundering of the ‘jungle’,” she said. “Borrell could not have phrased it any better: the world’s most prosperous system, created in Europe, nurtured by roots in colonies which they ruthlessly oppressed.”
Once a speechwriter for former UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon and media adviser to UN General Assembly president Maria Espinoza, Mark Seddon, tells me: “This is a remark that could have been made by an ignorant racist in the 1930s, and should be completely unacceptable in the 2020s.”
I agree. But it is very telling where this speech has been mentioned. Until The New York Times ran an article on Monday, all the reports on it were in non-western media (including in this newspaper). Google searches show that, at the time of writing, the great organs of the European media have totally ignored Mr Borrell’s abhorrent comparisons – although a report by the Reuters wire service, which most newsrooms subscribe to, on the UAE’s summoning of the local EU head, might change that.
“Imagine if a Chinese official were to say something like this. We would not stop hearing about it for the next decade,” says Shahriman Lockman, a director at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia (which is, as it happens, situated next to an area of dense secondary rainforest in the capital, Kuala Lumpur).
So why the lack of reaction in “the garden”? Do Europeans think Mr Borrell is so loose-lipped that his ill-advised comments are no longer worth writing about – in which case he should not be in such an important position? Or do they tacitly agree with him? After all, sometimes the mask does slip. I’m reminded of a Malaysian friend who was once staying at an English country house when two younger guests announced that they were going to visit the Malaysian part of Borneo. “Be very careful there,” said the host. “It’s full of savages and cannibals.” Upon realising that my friend was from the very country he had just maligned, he quickly added: “Oh, I don’t mean you, my dear!”
Mr Borrell’s insulting words underline why Europe, and the West more broadly, sometimes has trouble gaining greater traction for its narratives in the Global South. As one South-East Asian analyst said to me: “At least the Russians and the Chinese do a better job of keeping any prejudices they may have about ‘the jungle’ to themselves.”
The man himself claims not to know what all the fuss is about, and Mr Borrell’s boss, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, has offered no correction to him. Many from “the jungle”, including government officials, have, however, taken a different view on social media.
The Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 group, co-founded by former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, spoke for many in the statement it released on Monday: “In calling most of the rest of the world ‘a jungle’, Borrell has degraded billions of people in parts of the world that are underdeveloped as a direct result of Europe’s colonial legacy, and shown that, far from wanting to atone for this immense injustice, his top priority is perpetuating it. Borrell’s conduct, put simply, is unfit for the office he holds. We demand his immediate resignation.”
Unless Mr Borrell swiftly issues an abject apology, there can be no other option. Otherwise, the EU has just told the rest of the world exactly what it thinks about it. And it doesn't make for pleasant reading.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
Match info
Premier League
Manchester United 2 (Martial 30', Lingard 69')
Arsenal 2 (Mustafi 26', Rojo 68' OG)
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
