BERLIN, (APP/AFP) – Founding EU members are
to hold a crisis meeting Saturday on the future of the bloc after
Britain’s seismic vote to leave the union and the resignation of
Prime Minister David Cameron.
As the “Brexit” vote sent global financial markets into
freefall, Moody’s cut Britain’s credit rating outlook to “negative”,
saying the vote to pull out of the European Union could hurt its
economic prospects.
After the shock result German Chancellor Angela Merkel and
French President Francois Hollande led calls for the EU to reform
in order to survive a traumatic divorce with Britain.
European leaders are anxious to ensure the transition is
as painless as possible, with the foreign ministers of the six
EU founding members gathering in Berlin Saturday in the first
of a series of crisis meetings over the coming week.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier will host
his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault, the Netherlands’ Bert
Koenders, Italy’s Paolo Gentiloni, Belgium’s Didier Reynders and
Luxemburg’s Jean Asselborn for the six-way talks on “current
European political issues”, the German foreign ministry said
in a statement.
Steinmeier regretted Britain’s decision, saying it
was “a sad day for Europe and the United Kingdom”.
Paris and Berlin will present their partners with
“concrete solutions” to make the EU “more effective”,
Ayrault told AFP.
– ‘Blow to Europe’ –
====================
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who called the result a
“blow” to Europe, said she would would host the leaders of France
and Italy along with EU President Donald Tusk in Berlin on
Monday to try to chart a reform plan.
“We take note of the British people’s decision with regret.
There is no doubt that this is a blow to Europe and to the European unification process,” Merkel told reporters in Berlin.
With global markets in turmoil, she said it was important
to “not draw quick and simple conclusions from the referendum in
Great Britain, which would only further divide Europe.”
EU chiefs have urged Britain to leave as “soon as possible,
however painful that process may be”.
European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said he
was “very sad” that Britain had voted to leave, but repeated
that there would be “no renegotiation” of Britain’s membership.
Leaders of the EU, born out of a determination to forge
lasting peace after two world wars, will open a two-day summit
on Tuesday to grapple with Britain’s decision.
The shock outcome of Thursday’s historic referendum could
have a knock-on effect on other EU members battling hostility to
Brussels and possibly lead to the break-up of the United Kingdom
after Scotland raised the prospect of another independence
vote.
Britons, many worried by immigration and what they saw
as interference in the running of their country by bureaucrats
in Brussels, voted by 52 to 48 percent to abandon the bloc
after 43 years of often troubled membership.