EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has attracted criticism for his recent remarks. EPA
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has attracted criticism for his recent remarks. EPA
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has attracted criticism for his recent remarks. EPA
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has attracted criticism for his recent remarks. EPA


The EU must act against Josep Borrell for his 'jungle' remarks


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October 18, 2022

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).

Refugees from Ukraine line up for information at a booth offering German language courses at a job fair in Berlin in June. AFP
Refugees from Ukraine line up for information at a booth offering German language courses at a job fair in Berlin in June. AFP

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.

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Price: From Dh117,059

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Torque: 320Nm

Price: From Dh147,000

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In the Restaurant: Society in Four Courses
Christoph Ribbat
Translated by Jamie Searle Romanelli
Pushkin Press 

THE SPECS

Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre

Transmission: Seven-speed auto

Power: 165hp

Torque: 241Nm

Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000

On sale: now

Engine: 3.5-litre V6

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 290hp

Torque: 340Nm

Price: Dh155,800

On sale: now

Monday's results
  • UAE beat Bahrain by 51 runs
  • Qatar beat Maldives by 44 runs
  • Saudi Arabia beat Kuwait by seven wickets
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline

Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.

When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.

Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.

Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.

“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.

Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.

“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.

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Director: Fernando Meirelles

Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce 

Four out of five stars

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

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If you go

The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Santiago, via Sao Paolo cost from Dh5,295 with Emirates


The trip
A five-day trip (not including two days of flight travel) was split between Santiago and in Puerto Varas, with more time spent in the later where excursions were organised by TurisTour.
 

When to go
The summer months, from December to February are best though there is beauty in each season

Stage 2

1. Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Alpecin-Fenix 4:18:30

2. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates 0:00:06

3.  Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma 0:00:06

4. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:06

5. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:00:08

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Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica

Best Agent: Jorge Mendes

Best Club : Liverpool   

 Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)  

 Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker

 Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo

 Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP

 Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart

Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)

Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)

Best Women's Player:  Lucy Bronze

Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi

 Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)

 Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)

 Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs

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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

Profile

Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari

Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.

Number of employees: Over 50

Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised

Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital 

Sector of operation: Transport

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

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First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus 

Results:

Men’s wheelchair 200m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 27.14; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 27.81; 3. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 27.81.

GIANT REVIEW

Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan

Director: Athale

Rating: 4/5

City's slump

L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Tonight's Chat on The National

Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.

Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.

Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.

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MEFCC information

Tickets range from Dh110 for an advance single-day pass to Dh300 for a weekend pass at the door. VIP tickets have sold out. Visit www.mefcc.com to purchase tickets in advance.

Red flags
  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
  • Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

Updated: October 19, 2022, 8:41 AM