Brussels, 14/01/2016 (Agence Europe) - The demands for the renegotiation of the United Kingdom's relations with the European Union - focusing on the consequences for non-eurozone countries of the integration of the eurozone, increased competitiveness and increased subsidiarity and restricted access of European migrants to national social benefits - could be resolved without breaching the current Treaties or requiring any changes to them, the negotiator-in-chief of the European Commission, the Briton Jonathan Faull, told the Constitutional affairs committee of the European Parliament on Thursday 14 January.
Faull went on to state that the European leaders could be in a position to seal the deal over the demands of British Prime Minister David Cameron at the European Summit of 18 and 19 February, and that intensive discussions on this subject were currently underway. “It was quite clear in December (at the last European Summit) that the leaders wanted to resolve the issue”, the negotiator explained (see EUROPE 11456 and 11457). However, they will “take as much time as they need”, even if “there are only a few weeks left”, he added, stating that there are still “a number of major obstacles to overcome”.
Faull said that the “political will exists and, indeed, is fairly strong” to reach agreement, even though the negotiations “have been tough” and that the subjects are delicate “in the United Kingdom and in the other member states”. “There are fundamental issues” to resolve, such as the principle of an increasingly integrated Union, the reference to the euro and the currencies of the other member states, freedom of movement and conditions for the treatment of workers, the European official stressed. And on these issues, “there are strong opinions and we have not yet reached any conclusions”, he said. However, “what encourages me to be positive is the will to reach an agreement without sacrificing everything that already exists and what's good about the EU”, Faull observed, adding that a draft global agreement will be ready for early February.
The Commission negotiator also described the possible outlines of this agreement, which could take the form of a simple declaration of the European Council envisaging references to future legislative activities, for instance. The European leaders will discuss the legal forms at the February Summit as well as the need to change the Treaties, although several of them have already said that they would like to push these changes through without amending the Treaties, the British official stated.
Without going into details of the talks, Faull appeared unconvinced that treaty change would be necessary to respond to the demands of the British Conservative government. “On certain dossiers, certain issues can be resolved without Treaty change, but this will be for the heads of state and government to decide”, he said.
Whilst a number of British demands - such as limited access to British benefits for European migrants - do not sit well with the principle of the freedom of movement, Faull insisted that the “fundamental freedoms must remain fundamental” and that the agreement would have to comply fully with all pillars of the single market. “The Treaty provides for a raft of rules laying down the circumstances in which these freedoms apply”, he pointed out, adding: “the question is whether there is enough flexibility and leeway in the current framework whilst maintaining the principle of the four fundamental freedoms, which must remain intact”.
The European negotiator did not, however, go into details over the contents of the British demands, particularly the call for restrictions on access to British benefits for Europeans for four years. “It is not my position to comment on the possibilities of reform in the UK social security system”, he explained, reiterating that European law provides measures to fight abuses. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)