German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for a statement in Berlin, Germany, June 24, 2016, after Britain voted to leave the European Union in the EU BREXIT referendum. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - The European Union needs clarity on Britain’s intentions on leaving the bloc by March next year to avoid chaos hitting European elections in 2019, a senior member of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives said on Thursday.

Gunther Krichbaum, head of the German parliament’s committee on European Affairs, was responding to a ruling by England’s high Court that the British government needs parliamentary approval to trigger the process to leave the EU.

“It is absolutely desirable that we have clarity by March on what Britain wants. Otherwise, the chaos caused by former (British) Prime Minister David Cameron with the referendum will affect the elections to the European Parliament in 2019,” Krichbaum told Reuters.