Former German leader Angela Merkel admitted that she considers the withdrawal of Great Britain from the bloc a "humiliation and shame" for the European Union.
Points of attention
- Merkel has revealed how she became an outsider among other European leaders because of her support for David Cameron.
- The memoirs of the former chancellor of Germany reveal the details of the Brexit negotiations and the assessment of the consequences of the decision of Great Britain.
Merkel calls Brexit "shame and humiliation" of the EU
The memoirs of the ex-Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, which have about 700 pages, will soon be published.
Of them, about five pages are dedicated to Brexit and Merkel's role in the negotiations with the former head of the British government, David Cameron, on the eve of the referendum.
According to the politician, she did everything possible to keep Britain in the EU.
The former German leader also mentions the further agreement on Britain's withdrawal, the conclusion of which stretched over several years.
Angela Merkel frankly admits that she was very disappointed at the time, especially when she saw the result of the Brexit referendum.
To me the result seemed a humiliation, a shame for us, the other members of the European Union — the United Kingdom was leaving us in a difficult position. It changed the face of the European Union in the eyes of the world; we were weakened.
Angela Merkel
Ex-Scanner of the Federal Republic of Germany
Merkel told why she became an outsider
According to the German politician, "wherever possible, she tried to help David Cameron."
The former leader of Germany claims that she did this even though she was aware that she risked provoking the anger of other EU leaders who distanced themselves from her.
My support for him made me an outsider among my other colleagues... The impact of the Eurocrisis was still felt, besides, I was repeatedly accused of stinginess, she admits.
According to Merkel, Brexit "demonstrated in a textbook style the consequences that can arise when miscalculations are made from the very beginning."
