Belgian Member of Parliament warn Brussels to respect the democratic will of the British people if not the EU will fail

It has been predicted by some world leaders that if the only way the EU feels it can continue its existence is to punish the United Kingdom because the British people voted to leave and being a democratic nation, the government is duty bound to respect the democratic will of the people by implementing Brexit, then the EU is doomed to collapse in the nearest future.

According to Johan Van Overtveldt, the is in a comatose state with the current happenings within bloc, due to the fact that it misplaced its priority of securing its borders and put its focus on regulation size olive pots.

Speaking further he said the "ever-closer union" needs urgent reform to become "different" and "better" and should spend its time tackling security, immigration and trade.

Mr Van Overtveldt said: "Sixty years after signing the Treaty of Rome, and 25 years after the Maastricht Treaty, the European Union is in trouble and is certainly in need of new inspiration and new directions. The EU cannot continue operating the way it does today.

"One should not underestimate the psychological effect that the Brexit vote has had, not just in Britain but also in other European capitals.

"Long time achievements of European integration such as free movement of people are being fundamentally called into question.

"If Europe focuses on how the pots in which olives are sold should be sized, then I think Europe is very wrong."

Therefore, the 61-year-old New Flemish Alliance MP stated how “sad” it would be. if the only way the EU could remain attractive to its members was “by showing them you are able to punish the UK”.

He said: "Everything in my way of thinking argues to get a good deal for the British and not have as an ultimate objective to punish them. This is democracy. We should respect that. We should strike a good deal and be reasonable people - on both sides - and then go on.

"The sooner the better because the real danger of the Brexit process is that it will go on, and on, and on, and there will come a moment where that will start impacting expectations whether it be investments, producers or consumers which is of course bad for the economy overall."

He also poked fun at Jean-Claude Juncker's assertion that Mrs May is "in a different galaxy" when it came to Brexit.

Mr Van Overtveldt said: "It’s very common in Belgian politics to say you only have an agreement when you have an agreement on everything, so in that sense Theresa May sounded very much like a Belgian politician.”