British historian and political commentator Niall Ferguson envisaged an apocalyptic future for the EU, drawing a similarity with the Holy Roman Empire.

Analysing how the bloc has so far dealt with crises and considering the ones that loom over it, he predicted the union will be soon invested by a life-threatening emergency.

He said: "For Brussels, it could be tight in the next 10 years.”

During this decade, the historian believes the future of the EU will be decided.

But according to his analysis, Europe is too poorly prepared for the imminent challenges of the coming years to survive. 

He said: "The EU is the weakest of the great powers.”

According to his view, the bloc is facing both internal and external problems.

On one side, the EU is squashed between the “Empire of Donald Trump”, the US, and China - two world powers too strong for Brussels to be able to compete with them.

On the other side, the bloc is facing internal struggles, with the surge of populist movements which are seizing power in a growing number of European countries.

Mr Ferguson highlighted that the rise of populism means the loss of power of traditional parties which have historically supported the EU.  ...