Josep Borrell has issued a public apology after people took offense to his use of the term "jungle", explaining that he meant to refer to the increasing rise of lawlessness and disorder around the world.

As he addressed students at the College of Europe in Bruges last Thursday at a university program designed to raise the next generation of European diplomats, Borrell compared the European Union to a "garden" that must be protected from the "jungle" outside. 

His remarks, which led people to call him "racist", also instigated tensions with the UAE as it summoned the head of mission at the EU delegation to the UAE for clarification on Monday - labeling the remarks as "inappropriate and discriminatory," according to the country's state news agency WAM.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani also condemned on Tuesday the latest remarks as arising from a colonial mentality, as he expressed on Twitter, that "the garden/jungle metaphor arises from an utterly unacceptable colonial mentality which gives the West a right to invade and occupy."

The garden/jungle metaphor arises from an utterly unacceptable colonial mentality which gives the West a right to invade & occupy.

That era has long gone. Multipolarity is on the doorstep.

EU needs to adopt the realities, otherwise it will continue to decline & fade.

— Nasser Kanaani (@IRIMFA_SPOX) October 18, 2022

In a blog post on the official website of the European Union, Borrell clarified that "jungle" was to demonstrate increased use of force, intimidation, and blackmail or behavior that violates international norms, adding, "The growth of this lawless world and disorder is what I meant when talking about the 'jungle'," as he assured that the term had no racist, cultural, or certain geographical connotation.

He said, unfortunately, the "jungle" is everywhere, including today in Ukraine.

Borrell even admitted that some people misinterpreted his reference as "colonial Eurocentrism", followed by another apology for the offense, expressing that he felt Europe needed to know the rest of the world better as it is often too Eurocentric. That comes after he insisted in his original speech that Europeans have to be "much more engaged" with the rest of the world and put their "privilege" to positive use. 

"Garden" and "jungle" metaphors, Borrell acknowledged, gained widespread criticism because US neoconservative politicians had used the term but assured he was "far from that school of political thought."

The EU foreign policy chief is keen on adopting this garden-vs-jungle rhetoric, fueling a Eurocentric sentiment focused on gatekeeping the continent from the citizens of countries it either bombs or simply pillages, making refugees collateral damage of this imperial outlook.