UK's Exit From EU to Cause ‘Crisis’ in Bloc – Polish President

The European Union would face a grave crisis if the United Kingdom left the bloc, Polish President Andrzej Duda said Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – UK Prime Minister David Cameron promised to hold a referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union by the end of 2017. Cameron has repeatedly stressed that his country is interested in retaining the membership, but only if the bloc implements certain reforms.

"Let's not pretend, a UK exit from the EU will be a very serious crisis for the EU. Of that I have no doubt," Duda said in an interview with the BBC.

He added that the European Union was already weakened by several crises, such as the financial crisis and the refugee crisis, and potential Brexit would only further destabilize the bloc.

London seeks to renegotiate the terms of its EU membership with Brussels and has proposed the European Union to implement a four-year ban on social benefits for EU migrants, provide more powers to the bloc members' national parliaments, give greater protections for non-euro countries in the bloc, strengthen the European single market, and to ensure that the United Kingdom will not be obliged to adhere to the EU’s commitment to an "ever closer union."