French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking about Brexit, said Europe now faces its worst crisis since the Second World War.
"Never, since the World War II, has Europe been as essential. Yet never has Europe been in so much danger," Macron wrote in a column for French newspaper Le Parisien
The French leader said Britain’s departure from the EU was a symbol of the problems plaguing the bloc. "It symbolises the crisis of a Europe that has failed to respond to its peoples’ need for protection from the major shocks of the modern world. It also symbolises the European trap," he wrote. France's president claimed "lies" and "irresponsibility" triggered the UK’s move to leave.
"Who told the British people the truth about their post-Brexit future? Who spoke to them about losing access to the EU market? Who mentioned the risks to peace in Ireland of restoring the border?" the Guardian cited him as saying.
"Retreating into nationalism offers nothing; it is rejection without an alternative. And this is the trap that threatens the whole of Europe: the anger mongers, backed by fake news, promise anything and everything," the French leader stressed.
