PANICKED European leaders struggled to find a coherent response to Thursday’s Leave vote by the British public.

Unelected European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker held crisis discussions with European Parliament president Martin Schulz, European Council president Donald Tusk and Dutch PM Mark Rutte yesterday morning.

The leaders vowed “to give effect to this decision of the British people as soon as possible, however painful that process may be,” — effectively making an example of Britain as a warning to others tempted to leave the undemocratic bloc.

Mr Tusk said: “We are determined to keep our unity at 27,” but acknowledged “there’s no way of predicting all the political consequences of this event, especially for the UK.”

Mr Rutte claimed: “We’re in the process of reforming the European Union.”

Germany

Chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU was strong enough to find the “right answers” to the referendum result.
She said Germany had a “special interest” and a “special responsibility” in European unity succeeding. She voiced “great regret” at the British decision and said the bloc must aim for a “close” future relationship with Westminster.
German Justice Minister Heiko Maas called the “decision by a narrow majority of Britons” a “black Friday for Europe,” while Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the “sobering” news was “a sad day for Europe and Britain.

Greece

Greek PM Alexis Tsipras said the referendum dealt a severe blow to European unification and should force a shift toward more “democratic” practices within the European Union.
Greece’s rejection of penury terms for its third banking bailout in last year’s referendum was simply ignored by the EU “troika” of creditors.
Mr Tspiras called for a swift change of course in EU thinking, saying politics must retake the lead “from the economy and technocrats.

Italy

Italian PM Matteo Renzi tweeted: “We have to change it to make it more humane and more just, but Europe is our home, it’s our future.”
He said: “The house must be remodelled, maybe freshened up, but it’s the house of our tomorrow,” claiming young people were asking for “more Europe’” to realise their dreams and expectations.

Spain

Spain’s acting Foreign Minister Jose Garcia-Margallo said Madrid should take advantage of the vote to push for regaining control of Gibraltar.
“I hope the joint sovereignty formula, or to put it clearly, the Spanish flag on the Rock — is much closer rather than further away,” he said.

Norway

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, whose country is not an EU member, said the vote was “a boost for extreme forces that want less co-operation in Europe” — “anti-establishment, anti-globalisation, anti-EU forces (…) that can be pretty extreme.”

Poland

Poland’s Foreign Ministry said the vote was a “warning signal” of disillusionment with the EU.
“It is imperative that we reform the EU by cutting red tape, increasing the democratic legitimacy of its decisions, and better adapting it to new challenges,” the statement said.

The Pope

Pope Francis said the British decision reflected the will of its people and that Britain and the rest of the continent must now work towards coexistence.