EU has been left in ‘critical condition’ by Brexit vote and needs to win back trust now, says Angela Merkel

BREXIT has left the EU in “critical” condition and its leaders must win back people’s trust in it, Angela Merkel has declared.

The German Chancellor issued the stark ultimatum to the EU’s 27 other leaders as they met without Britain to plot how to hold together after our landmark decision to leave.

At the end of the summit in Bratislava last night, Mrs Merkel and French President Francois Hollande made a joint appearance to demonstrate unity.

They said the leaders had agreed to plot a “road map” of new defence and security measures to reinvigorate the Union over the next six months.

It will be unveiled in Italy in March, when the founding Treaty of Rome’s 60th anniversary is marked.

Mr Hollande insisted: “Either we move in the direction of disintegration or we work together to inject new momentum, we relaunch the European project.”

But Hungary’s PM Viktor Orban shattered the illusion by insisting the summit had failed to resolve the raging row between the leaders on accepting migrant quotas.

It also emerged yesterday that Mrs Merkel refused to let other EU leaders describe the migrant crisis as “chaos” - insisting they talk about “uncontrolled flaws” instead.

There was also a grim metaphor for the EU yesterday when a boat used by the leaders for a trip down the Danube came under threat of running aground.

Low river levels on the famous river meant Slovak authorities had to cancel a water visit to a museum.

Instead the prime ministers and presidents were left to cruise aimlessly up and down the Danube during a two-hour working lunch.