Brexit

German Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted Nov. 17 that Britain remain in the European Union, saying it was a vital gateway to the world for continental nations.
      
Prime Minister David Cameron has said he will hold an in-or-out referendum on Britain's membership of the EU in 2017 if he wins a general election in May, amid tensions over immigration reform.
      

The German Federal Government has suggested that it considers a British exit from the EU as a possibility.