Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament | Sean Gallup/Getty Images Martin Schulz: Brexit could trigger ‘implosion’ of EU ‘The EU has been on a sliding slope,’ Schulz said.

Martin Schulz, the president of the European Parliament, has warned of an “implosion of the EU” if Britain were to leave the European Union after the June 23 referendum.

In an interview with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung published on Tuesday, Schulz said that as a result of a Brexit other member countries will want "escape referendums" too.

Schulz fears a rise of “enemy movements within Europe” and said that sooner or later left or right wing populists will come into power.

“The EU has been on a sliding slope for some time now,” Schulz said. He added that extremists are still a minority, but the Dutch rejection of the Association Agreement with Ukraine shows that “we should not rely a good ending” for Europe.

According to Schulz, citizens have lost trust in institutions, both national and European, and therefore a institutional reforms need to be made to make the EU more effective.

"The EU has been created as a tool for solving problems, but many people think of it as a part of the problem rather than a solution,” Schulz said.