Brussels/Riga, 22/05/2015 (Agence Europe) - The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, said on the evening of Thursday 21 May, at the start of the Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga, that he was to “seriously get down to discussions” with the other European leaders on the “reform of the EU and the renegotiation of the United Kingdom's relationship with it”.
“The last time I met the European leaders, I hoped to give the British people a say in the United Kingdom's membership of the EU. Now this referendum will indeed be held”. However, David Cameron went on to say that “the discussions will not be easy. They will not be quick. There will be differences of opinion and disagreements right the way through. But by working together with the right frame of mind and with commitment, I believe that we will be able to find solutions which respond to the concerns of the British people and improve the EU as a whole. After all, we are by no means the only ones who want the EU to function better for the people of the whole of Europe. And that is what I'm determined to do”, said the Conservative Prime Minister.
The bill on the organisation of the British referendum will be announced in the Queen's Speech on Wednesday 27 May. In London on 21 May, David Cameron also repeated some of his demands, specifically those aiming to limit access to social benefits for European migrant workers, a subject he also wants to put on the agenda for re-negotiations with the EU.
In a speech on global immigration to the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister stressed that “changes to social benefits to limit intra-European migration will be a vital condition in the renegotiations”.
Interviewed upon their arrival at the summit, a number of European leaders took pains to stress that they were waiting to see what Cameron hoped to secure. Among these was Denmark's Helle Thorning-Schmidt, who welcomed the re-election of the head of government and stressed that the first stage would be to “listen to what he has to say”. The Irish Minister for European Affairs, Dara Murphy, said that Enda Kenny and David Cameron would be meeting early next month and stressed that he was “very optimistic” about the chances of keeping the UK in the EU, with Irish businesses in particular very concerned at a potential 'Brexit'. “We will have to see what his proposals are”, the Minister commented on Friday 22 May, adding that it was “far too early” to take position on the various options for resolving the issue and, in particular, any changes to the Treaties.
The minister also welcomed the ideas for reforms put forward by David Cameron, suggesting that these could be beneficial to all Europeans when it comes to better regulation and strengthening growth. The Estonian Prime Minister, Taavi Roivas, said that he was looking forward to “open discussions”, but that these should steer clear of the fundamental freedoms of the EU, he said. “We will have to be open to the proposals of both sides”, the leader stressed, adding that he was confident that a deal could be struck.
The British Prime Minister may travel to Berlin and Paris next week for informal discussions on this subject, according to media reports. David Cameron is also expected to meet the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, at Chequers on Monday. The Prime Minister must then draw up his official list of demands for the European summit of the end of June. (Solenn Paulic with Camille-Cerise Gessant)