British Prime Minister David Cameron has been in Brussels to drum up last-minute support for his EU reform demands. He has met the European
ADVERTISEMENTBritish Prime Minister David Cameron has been in Brussels to drum up last-minute support for his EU reform demands.
He has met the European Parliament’s president, who said members would not block a deal to keep the UK in the EU, but may not back it fully.
“No government can go to the parliament and say: this is our proposal, can you give a guarantee about the result. This is not possible in a democracy,” said Schulz.
Schulz also told reporters that these were tough times for the bloc.
“Very clearly, the EU has never been in such a dramatic situation as it is this week,” he said.
“We are negotiating on a necessary compromise with a state that is a member of the G7 and has veto rights at the UN Security Council. We want Great Britain to stay a member of the EU.”
Cameron’s visit to Brussels comes just two days before EU leaders thrash out the proposals at a summit, chaired by Donald Tusk.
This, ahead of a referendum in Britain on membership of the bloc. If the outcome of this vote is to stay, the Parliament will still need to approve key elements of the reform deal.
The European People’s Party group said that it does not want Britain’s case to open the floodgates.
“The most important thing for us as the EPP group is that we talk in the next days about a Britain deal. We are not want to open the whole debate about further requests from member states,” said Manfred Weber, German centre-right MEP and Chair of the European People’s Party.
“We are only talking about a Britain deal at the moment.”
Leader of the UK Independence Party, Nigel Farage, says Cameron is “gutless” for not having met all party leaders in Brussels, as was originally planned.
He is maintaining the deal on the table is “pitiful” and its terms will be vetoed in the European Parliament.
“So all eyes are now on Thursday’s summit here in Brussels, when EU leaders will try to iron out the remaining differences,” reported euronews’ Damon Embling, from Brussels.
“It’s clear David Cameron’s reform package is by no means a done deal. Donald Tusk has said the talks are now at a critical stage, and the risk of a break up is real.”