Situation in the European Union is' serious' and 'euro could explode, "he said Thursday French Minister for European Affairs Jean Leonetti, according to AFP.
"The situation is serious (...), euro could explode and Europe might fall apart, and this could be a catastrophe not only for Europe, for France, but worldwide," said Minister station Canal Plus television, hours before the opening of a summit in Brussels decisive.



If possible, talk to resolve this debt crisis in the euro area must take place with all 27 European Union members, he said. But France and Germany do not preclude an agreement between the 17 euro area Member States, if countries outside the Monetary Union, such as Britain or Sweden, do not want to join.



Jean Leonetti also criticized credit rating agencies. "It irritates me a little. Was based on economic and financial standards, and now switched to political standards. It is the role of rating agencies to make policy, but the population and representatives of the people," he said.



After months of surveillance put almost all euro area countries, the U.S. agency Standard & Poor's threatened to downgrade the rating on Wednesday that European banks and the EU.



In this tense, fed by divisions between EU Member States and the repeated warnings of rating agencies, the Heads of State and Government of the EU is to meet Thursday evening in Brussels for an EU summit.



Before, many of these leaders, including Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy, is to have talks in Marseille (south-eastern France), at a meeting of leaders of European law.