The head of Nissan has said he would "reconsider" the car maker's future in the UK if it left the European Union.
James Ramsbotham, Chief Executive of the North East Chamber of Commerce, says companies like Nissan need to know whether the UK will remain in the EU.
The head of the Japanese car company, Carlos Ghosn, has claimed they would "reconsider" their position if the UK left the EU.
This would threaten jobs at Nissan's plant in Sunderland, which employs 6,500 people.
Neil Foster, Northern TUC, has said that the region's economy would be left shaken if Nissan left the UK. It comes after the chief executive of Nissan said he would reconsider the car maker's future in the UK if it left the European Union.
Fiona Hall, Liberal Democrat MEP for the North East, has given her reaction to the warning from Nissan about European Union membership.
Nissan's chief executive said he would 'reconsider' the company's future in the UK if it left the EU. The car manufacturer employs 6.500 people in the North East.
– Fiona Hall, Liberal Democrat MEP for the North East"This is a stark warning about the catastrophic damage the North East economy would suffer if we were to pull out, and it is one we cannot afford to ignore.
"Nissan is not just 6,000 jobs on Wearside, it is many thousands more across the region.
"Their importance to the North East can hardly be overstated.
"Fortunately I think Mr Ghosn is right when he says an exit is unlikely, because the business case for staying in is overwhelming.
"But the uncertainty that has been created by politicians putting their self-interest ahead of the region's economic well-being is already jeopardising investment."
Nissan has released a statement after its chief executive said he would "reconsider" the car maker's future in the UK if it left the European Union.
– Nissan Statement“As a global company we always want to ensure that our business has the opportunity to operate as freely as possible in markets around the world. The whole of Europe is a vital market to Nissan and we also recognise how important theUK market is and must remain, so we will support future policy decisions to continue to support that success.”
The new Qashqai model will be built at Nissan's Sunderland site, which employs 6,500 workers.
The head of Nissan has said he would "reconsider" the car maker's future in the UK if it left the European Union.
Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of the Japanese motoring company, says he will re-evaluate Nissan's position if the UK leaves the EU.
Speaking at the launch of Nissan's new Qashqai model, he said: "If anything has to change we (would) need to reconsider our strategy and our investments for the future."
He added that an exit is unlikely.
The new Qashqai will be built at Nissan's Sunderland site, which employs 6,500 workers.