Brexit: The view from Europe

THE President of the European Council Donald Tusk has called the UK’s decision to leave the EU “historic” but said it was not a moment for “hysterical reactions.”

The EU’s 27 remaining members will meet to assess its future next week without Britain.

Mr Tusk said: “Today on behalf of the 27 leaders, I can say that we are determined to keep our unity as 27. For all of us, the union is the framework for our common future.

“There is no hiding the fact that we wanted a different outcome of yesterday’s referendum. There is no way of predicting all the political consequences of this event – especially for the UK. It is a historic moment, but not a moment for hysterical reactions.”

The UK’s vote to leave the EU has triggered demands for referendums in other member states.

France’s National Front leader Marine Le Pen said the French must now also have the right to choose, saying “Victory for freedom. As I’ve been saying for years, we must now have the same referendum in France and other EU countries.” She also said that France has “possibly 1,000 more reasons” to want to leave the EU than the English.

Meanwhile, Dutch anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders said the Netherlands deserved a “Nexit” vote, and the Northern League in Italy said: “Now it’s our turn”.

Germany reacted with dismay to the UK’s decision to leave.

The country’s vice chancellor and economics minister Sigmar Gabriel tweeted: “Damn! A bad day for Europe.”

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany’s foreign minister, said it as a “sad day” for both Europe and the UK.

The Federation of German Industries said the UK’s vote to leave the EU will hit the German economy “hard and immediately” while the German Association of the Automobile Industry (VDA) said it hoped a British exit from the EU wouldn’t lead to high trade barriers between the UK and continental Europe.

BMW said in a statement: “It’s clear that a new phase of uncertainty has begun. We don’t expect any immediate impact on our activities in Great Britain.”

Volkswagen said it was too early to speculate on the effect Brexit would have on its UK operation, saying it was “well positioned to adapt to the changing economic and political conditions.”

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