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Francois Fillon and Marine Le Pen, who are the most likely candidates to contest next year's presidential elections, have both attacked the crisis-stricken bloc on a number of occasions in their campaigns. Outspoken author Germaine Greer outlined her fears the EU could come to a bitter end with it collapsing in “great disorder” prompted by the new French president potentially holding their own EU referendum. Speaking on ITV’s The Agenda, the Australian-born commentator said: “My terror is that France will pull out of the EU – and then the EU will collapse in such disorder that the ruins will catch us all up. “It just might be that climbing out of the EU at the point where we’ve done it turns out to just be self-interest – we were getting off a sinking ship, which, of course, means we are rats.”

ITV•AFP Germaine Greer sparked fears that the French election could end the European Union

The EU will collapse in such disorder that the ruins will catch us all up Germaine Greer

Mr Fillon, the surprise winner of France’s centre-right presidential primary elections, however, has laid out how he would improve the EU and blamed the bloc’s lack of action for the Brexit vote. After his shock victory, he was quickly installed as the bookmakers' favourite and has made it clear he believes there should be a no-nonsense approach to Brexit and has called for a quick divorce. He said: “Today Europe at best is inefficient, useless, out fashioned and, at worst, is an obstacle to our development and our freedom.” Mr Fillon added that a lack of understanding between people and politicians has led to an identity crisis, fuelling a rise in populism and extremism.

AFP Francois Fillon won the centre-right primary election and has called for EU reforms

AFP Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen is a vocal anti-EU politician

The Frenchman continued: “The situation is critical and if we do not want the dream of the founders of a democratic European civilisation open to the world, turn into a nightmare, we must change Europe.” Despite being critical of the bloc, Ms Le Pen blasted Mr Fillon claiming he was the spokesperson for “the very worst European Union ideologies”. In an attack on her rival, the Front National leader said: “Mr Fillon’s social reforms will tear the country apart, they are the worst. “I also think that his pro-EU project is terrible. He is willing to comply with the EU’s ultra-liberal demands – no right-wing candidate has ever been so compliant.

“That said, his project is sharply different from ours, and rivalry is healthy.” Greer added that she hoped “40 years of hard work” on the European Union was not brought to an end by the two candidates, and even suggested we could be “witnessing the end of our version of parliamentary democracy”. The 77-year-old said: “It’s been 40 years of hard work trying to build a viable union of states with shared ambitions and shared moral standards. “To suddenly back off it and say, ‘yes, it did prevent war, maybe, but we don’t really care'.

Things you didn't know about Marine Le Pen Fri, May 5, 2017 Marine Le Pen is a French politician who is the president of the National Front, a national-conservative political party in France and one of its main political forces. Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 10 Described as more democratic and republican than her nationalist father, she has led a movement of "de-demonization of the Front National" to detoxify it and soften its image