Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has described Brexit as a “humiliation and shame” for the European Union in her memoirs.
In the 700-page book, set for release on Tuesday, Merkel dedicates about five pages to Brexit, reflecting on her role in negotiations with former UK Prime Minister David Cameron in the lead-up to the referendum. At the time, the former chancellor sought to help Cameron keep the UK in the EU.
Merkel also discusses the prolonged negotiations over the UK’s exit agreement, which stretched over several years. She recalls feeling deeply disappointed by the referendum’s outcome. “To me, the result felt like a humiliation, a shame for us, the other members of the European Union—the United Kingdom was leaving us in a difficult position. This changed how the European Union was perceived globally; we were weakened,” Merkel writes.
She recounts her efforts to support Cameron “wherever possible,” even at the risk of angering other EU leaders who distanced themselves from him.
“My support for him made me an outsider among my colleagues… The lingering effects of the euro crisis were still felt, and I was repeatedly accused of being stingy,” Merkel notes.
She concludes that Brexit “classically demonstrated the consequences that can arise when missteps are made from the very beginning.”
