BERLIN (Sputnik) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged the European countries to stay united amid the ongoing Brexit process during a meeting with French President Francois Hollande on Friday in Berlin.
"The European Union is currently facing major internal and external challenges. We know that the referendum in the United Kingdom is a breaking point for the European Union. It is important that all the 27 countries members stick together," Merkel told reporters.
Merkel noted that global conditions were "changing rapidly, and we have to adjust to it."
Prime Minister Theresa May announced that the UK would invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which will start Brexit negotiations, by the end of this March. Her announcement came after the majority of votes in a June referendum were given in favor of leaving the bloc, even though voters in Scotland, Northern Ireland and London supported the United Kingdom staying in the bloc. On November 3, the High Court ruled that the UK government needs parliamentary approval before the initiation of Brexit procedure.
