Germany’s EU commissioner, Günther Oettinger, has apologised after a storm of criticism over a speech in which he called Chinese people “slit eyes”, mocked gay marriage and denounced a Belgian region. EU chief pokes fun at Chinese, gay marriage and ex-chancellor Read moreBut Oettinger performed an about-turn on Thursday, saying he had had time to reflect. Oettinger also claimed he had been misquoted in his remarks on the Belgian region of Wallonia. He was referring to the socialist-led Walloon parliament’s role in slowing an EU trade deal with Canada. In his apology, Oettinger described Wallonia as “not only historically an important European region, but [one that] actively contributes to the cultural and political diversity of Europe”.

Source: The Guardian November 03, 2016 11:37 UTC