France, Germany, Italy respond to Brexit with ‘Superstate’ plan, Poland and others not happy
The leaders of Germany, France and Italy meet in Berlin on Monday as they scramble to contain the fallout from British voters’ shocking decision to quit the EU in a referendum last week (nicknamed the Brexit). The document in which the proposals appear is to be presented to Visegrad Group countries meeting in Prague on Monday by German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, TVP Info said, adding that the document was an “ultimatum”.
Britain’s decision to become the first member state to leave the 28-member European Union has plunged the bloc into uncharted waters, sparking widespread concern and triggering losses of over $2 trillion on global stock markets.
European leaders now embark on diplomatic activity to plan the way forward with some seeking to form a new “Superstate.”
Eurozone map photo/Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union wikimedia commons
French President François Hollande will hold talks with EU President Donald Tusk in Paris on Monday morning, before heading to Berlin for a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski told TVP Info: “This is not a good solution, of course, because from the time the EU was invented… a lot has changed.
“The mood in European societies is different. Europe and our voters do not want to give the Union over into the hands of technocrats.
“Therefore, I want to talk about this (in Prague) — whether this really is the right recipe today in the context of a Brexit.”
Martin Schaefer, a spokesman for the German foreign ministry, said: “Berlin does not want superstate, it wants a better Europe.”
Meanwhile, Waszczykowski said later on Monday that the document by Germany and France was drawn up before the Brexit decision. He said it included “old ideas” and “does not take into account what happened during the… referendum.”
The plan, named ‘A strong Europe in a world of instability,’ was signed by Steinmeier and French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and presented to the Visegrad group of countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) at a meeting in Prague on Monday.
photo/ Open Clip Art Vectors via pixabay
