Year of electoral tests may end European Union as we know it

Simon Tilford, of the Centre for European Reform think-tank, said the two big flashpoints for the union would be Italy’s constitutional referendum and France’s presidential election. “In Italy, if Renzi loses the referendum, can’t survive, and elections then return a government committed to a referendum on taking [the country] out of the euro … that could produce a real standoff,” Tilford said.

“And in France, if Le Pen should win ... We don’t know what would happen, but she’s talked of a referendum on the euro, and on France’s EU membership. A strongly Eurosceptic government in France would mean a full-blown crisis in Europe.”