A top EU official questioning the sincerity of young climate
protesters and joking that they have "Greta syndrome" sparked blowback in
Brussels on Friday among politicians and students demonstrating against climate change.
EU foreign policy chief Josep 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, said during a meeting at the European Parliament on Wednesday.