Soros says EU break-up would be catastrophic - reports

George Soros, Chairman of Soros Fund Management, speaks during a Future of Finance Initiative conference in Horsham, southern England, December 8, 2009.

REUTERS - A collapse of the euro and break-up of the European Union would have catastrophic consequences for the global financial system, billionaire investor George Soros was quoted as saying.

"Today, the euro is potentially endangering the political cohesion of the European Union," the Business Line newspaper cited Soros as saying in Hyderabad.

"If the common currency were to break down, it will lead to the break up of the European Union itself. And this will be catastrophic not only for Europe but also for the global financial system."

The euro zone crisis is "more serious and more threatening than the crash of 2008", the Economic Times reported, quoting Soros.

In the near term, some of the euro zone countries may have to take more austerity measures because of the imbalances between the "creditor and the debtor countries", Soros said at a business school event, the Mint newspaper reported.

"Unfortunately, they haven't yet solved the acute financial crisis and that is causing the situation to deteriorate...and (it) is not at all clear it will have a solution," he said.

(Writing by Sumeet Chatterjee in MUMBAI; Editing by Ranjit Gangadharan)