Brexit: Juncker and Cameron warn about consequences of leaving the EU

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker and British Prime minister David Cameron have warned about the potential consequences of the UK leaving the EU.

Speaking in an interview with German media, Juncker warned about the “unforeseeable consequences” the exit might have on European cooperation.

“All Europeans want Britain to remain in the family,” he said, recalling that the EU had struck a “fair deal” with Britain in February on reforms aimed at keeping it in the bloc. The remarks are to be published in an interview with the Funke Mediengruppe press group on Monday.

Britain is revving up for a referendum on the 23rd  June on whether or not it should stay in the 28-nation bloc, and opinion polls are showing the nation is still largely undecided on the issue.

Meanwhile, Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron, is expected to warn that peace in Europe could be at risk if Britain votes to leave the EU.

Britain first joined the then European Economic Community (EEC) in 1973, and in a referendum two years later the public backed membership by just over 67%. However, the country has had a strained relationship with Brussels, opting out of key projects including the euro and the Schengen passport-free zone.

The International Monetary Fund and the G20 group of the world’s leading economies have also warned of the economic dangers of Britain leaving the EU, while the OECD last month said there was “no upside” to a Brexit. Even the United States has weighed in, with President Barack Obama saying last month that EU membership magnified Britain’s global influence, during a state visit in the country. He also warned that if Britain did leave and wanted to sign a separate trade deal with the US it would go to the “back of the queue”.

With last week's local council elections now out of the way, the referendum campaign is expected to intensify in the coming weeks, with former London-mayor Boris Johnson heading the leave campaign.

The BBC reports that Cameron will argue that the EU - with Britain in it - has helped bring together countries that had been "at each others' throats for decades". He will warn that the peace and stability which Europe has enjoyed in recent years cannot be guaranteed, and will ask whether that "is a risk worth taking".