German Commissioner Oettinger voices fears of EU collapse

Germany's EU Commissioner Günther Oettinger on Wednesday voiced fears the European Union could fall apart under the pressure of rising populism.

"The EU has learned to overcome crises. But the number of unstable or populist governments is rising. That makes me worried," said Oettinger, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU). "I see for the first time a real danger that the EU could collapse," the EU's digital commissioner warned, without specifying which countries he was most worried about.

The EU has been battered by a litany of challenges this year, with a bad-tempered row over how to handle the Greek debt crisis and a record migrant influx splitting opinion across the bloc. While Germany is taking in around 1 million asylum seekers this year, several Eastern European nations want to keep migrants out.

Recently, Europe has witnessed a shift toward right-wing, Eurosceptic parties, which have been gaining popularity amid rising public fears regarding the migrant influx. Polls have shown a rise in support for right-wing parties in several countries such as Austria, Poland and Switzerland.