Germany prepares for collapse of EU

THE German army has war-gamed the break-up of the European Union in a study of security crises that could face the country by 2040.

Military planners in Berlin played out a scenario in which a growing number of countries follow Britain in leaving the EU, resulting in an “increasingly disorderly” world, Der Spiegel reported. “The EU enlargement has been largely abandoned, more states have left the bloc,” strategists wrote in a study cited by the magazine.

“The increasingly disorderly, chaotic and conflictual world has dramatically changed the security policy environment for Germany and Europe.”

Der Spiegel said the study could inform German armaments programs over the next several years.

The scenario was one of six examined in a study of challenges German generals believe could unfold over the next 23 years. The other five include one in which some central and east European states enter an “Eastern bloc”, presumably a reference to the growing influence of Russia.

A spokesman for the German defence ministry said the study, called Strategic Perspective 2040, made “robust predictions” but did not attach probabilities to them. He declined to comment on the content of the report.