But France’s president argued that it was in the interest of all parties to move quickly to resolve the situation.
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A spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said there can not be informal talks on the conditions for Britain’s exit before the United Kingdom files the formal notice that it is to leave – known as Article 50.
Britain’s shock decision to leave the European Union forces German Chancellor Angela Merkel into action to save the bloc, but true to her reputation for prudence, she has pledged to avoid both haste and vitriol.
“We can not start any informal talks without having the message from Great Britain”.
German stocks were down 3% on Monday afternoon, and there are concerns the uncertainty will fuel more panic. “That is clear for me”, she said.
Peter Altmaier, Ms. Merkel’s chief of staff, suggested at the weekend that the referendum may not be the last word on Britain’s European Union membership.
Mr Hollande, somewhat more bluntly, urged Britain to “not waste time” in triggering the process to leave the European Union, arguing that it was to all parties’ benefit to move forward quickly.
But she would not comment on whether it is acceptable for Britain to wait until a new PM is in place, following David Cameron’s decision to step down in the wake of the referendum result.
“The British government will not be triggering Article 50 at this stage”, he told the House of Commons on Monday afternoon.
They added that “no new relationship of whatever kind between the United Kingdom and the European Union can be agreed before (Britain’s) exit accord has been completed”.
“Brussels must hear the voice of the people, this is the biggest lesson from this decision”, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told public radio.
“I’ve also made this point to the Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission and I will make it clear again at the European council tomorrow”.
EU officials said there was no real problem if it took a few months to begin the process for Britain to leave, though waiting until the end of the year could get in the way of the next round of EU budget talks and European election campaigning.
Fitch Ratings also downgraded its ranking for Britain’s creditworthiness by one notch, and similarly said more cuts could follow.
He added that the referendum outcome strengthened the arguments for reform that Italy had often put forward to its partners, and these now had a greater chance of success.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande will be joined in Berlin by Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
US Secretary of State John Kerry is also visiting Brussels and London to address the fallout from the vote.
The Czech foreign minister, Lubomir Zaoralek, speaking after talks with colleagues from Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Germany and France, said a “fast and hasty integration” of the remaining 27 members of the European Union would be a “bad response” to Brexit.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier will meet in Prague with his counterparts from the so-called Visegrad group – the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary.
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Elsewhere, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has said the almost 1,000 British nationals who work for the bloc’s executive body will not have to quit their jobs.
