Germany, France warn of Brexit’s bad consequences
(VOVworld) – Germany’s Foreign Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned on Wednesday that a British vote to leave the European Union would shake the bloc. He said at a joint news conference with the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, that Germany and France hope that British will vote to stay in the EU in their June 23 referendum, adding that it would be the right decision to make. Steinmeier called for concerted efforts to ensure that the union held together and that the decades-long, successful integration effort did not end in disintegration.
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| Frank-Walter Steinmeier (left) and Jean-Marc Ayrault take a boat ride together on the River Havel when they met in Brandenburg. (Photo: EPA) |
He stressed that France and Germany had a special role as they had helped to found the European Community and the two countries would work closely together to ensure the EU's continued survival and success even if the British voted to leave.
On Wednesday the German economic institute DIW forecast 1.7% of economic growth for Britain this year and 1.4% in 2017. But Brexit would reduce Germany’s GDP by 0.5% due to fewer exports. Germany’s newspapers said that if Brexit occurs, France and Germany need to tighten their political alliance to avoid the EU’s possible collapse.