Spanish EU diplomat apologises for 'Greta syndrome' comments
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Saturday apologised for comments questioning the sincerity of young climate protesters and joking that they have "Greta syndrome".
Borrell triggered the row by saying he believed school students had been galvanised by teen Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg without fully realising the costs they would have to bear to ensure a carbon-neutral future.
It "can be called 'Greta syndrome'," Borrell, 72, had said during a meeting at the European Parliament on Wednesday.
The Greens grouping of MEPs in the European Parliament criticised Borrell, tweeting that his comments "are unacceptable for a representative of the EU".
On Saturday, Borrell said he had not meant to offend.
"I want to apologise to anyone that may have felt offended by my inappropriate reference to the important youth movement fighting #climatechange," he tweeted in English.
The Commission has made tackling climate change the centrepiece of its action, pledging to spend billions of euros a year towards its Green Deal with the goal of making the EU climate change neutral by 2050.
Comments
See Also
Borrell triggered the row by saying he believed school students had been galvanised by teen Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg without fully realising the costs they would have to bear to ensure a carbon-neutral future.
It "can be called 'Greta syndrome'," Borrell, 72, had said during a meeting at the European Parliament on Wednesday.
The Greens grouping of MEPs in the European Parliament criticised Borrell, tweeting that his comments "are unacceptable for a representative of the EU".
On Saturday, Borrell said he had not meant to offend.
"I want to apologise to anyone that may have felt offended by my inappropriate reference to the important youth movement fighting #climatechange," he tweeted in English.
The Commission has made tackling climate change the centrepiece of its action, pledging to spend billions of euros a year towards its Green Deal with the goal of making the EU climate change neutral by 2050.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.