Germany, France in agreement over how to handle Britain's EU exit

French President Francois Hollande and several French ministers.

(Image credit: Jacky Naegelen/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 27 June 2016

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande are on the same page when it comes to dealing with the U.K.'s decision to leave the EU.

An aide to Hollande told Reuters the pair had a 30 minute phone conversation on Sunday to discuss the aftermath of the Brexit vote, and "noted their full agreement on how to handle the situation created by the British referendum." They talked about setting specific priorities and "hoped for full clarity to avoid uncertainties," the aide said. Merkel will host Hollande, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, and European Council President Donald Tusk Monday in Berlin to further discuss the matter.

Hollande said it's important for there to be a united front, since "separated, we run the risk of divisions, dissension, and quarrels," and added that what "was once unthinkable has become irreversible." While the European Commission's president said the U.K.'s withdrawal from the EU should start "immediately," Merkel's chief of staff doesn't think there's a need to rush. "Politicians in London should take the time to reconsider the consequences of the Brexit decision‚ but by that I emphatically do not mean Brexit itself," Peter Altmaier said.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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