Borrell: European Union is a “Garden,” Rest of The World a “Jungle”

Delivering a speech on the inauguration of a university in Belgium, the EU foreign policy chief makes a statement exhibiting just how much “European exceptionalism” is still alive and well.

As he addresses students at the College of Europe in Bruges on 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.

The EU, according to Borrell, has the best combination of “political freedom, economic prosperity and social cohesion” ever known to humankind.

“The rest of the world… is not exactly a garden. Most of the rest of the world is a jungle, and the jungle could invade the garden. The gardeners should take care of it, but they will not protect the garden by building walls,” Borrell said.